True To Oneself
by DreamsRMyLife
Summary: Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka’s comes back for a soccer tournament. They’ve always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC TezukaxOC
1. Chapter 1

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 1**

"Do I have to go, Mom?" A young girl asked desperately.

"Yes, dear, I'm afraid you do." Her mother answered gently, yet sadly, gazing down at her daughter who was as close to tears as she had ever seen the tough little thing. "Mom and Dad have to go back to L.A. for Dad's work. We can't just leave you alone here."

"Yes you can! You can, you can!" A hand on the girl's arm stopped her from protesting further, the jingling of a few necklace chains wrapped around her arm stopping as she calmed down a bit.

"It's ok, Yumi." A young boy soothed. "We'll stay in touch. Besides, America has better soccer programs than here, right?"

"Well...yeah...but still-!" A stern golden brown gaze caused her to bite her lip and hang her head. "...Ok..." Her own gaze fell to the chains around her arm, and the locks that held them closed. She loved locks; they were what she collected, be that strange as it was.

"Here. It's a goodbye present." The boy said, holding out something in his hand.

Little Yumi reached out and felt a small weight drop into her palm. Opening her hand, she saw a small lock, almost as large as the face of a watch. It was shining gold and shaped like a heart, the keyhole being on the front instead of on the bottom. The head of the small key was also in the shape of a heart.

Pulling out a golden chain where the links were just big enough for the lock—meaning the holes of the links big enough to fit most of the tip of a sharpened pencil through it—Yumi wrapped it around her neck. The chain was too long, and hung down to her stomach. Unlocking the heart lock, she slipped it through the chain links and closed it, making a necklace. The key she gave back. "You keep that." She said quietly. "Then if you grow up big and tall and look really different, I'll still know it's you."

"Thanks."

"Come, Yumi...let's go." Her mother said. This time, she went without a fuss.

* * *

-Yumi!- A voice called down the street.

A girl looked up in surprise from where she was walking on the sidewalk. Her bangs, which had almost all been grown out to the bridge of her nose, fell a bit to the side over one of her rose red eyes. Most of her shiny raven-wing blue hair was left to hang loosely just past her shoulders.

The only thing undermining the cute and harmless appearances of her face and her clothes was a clink of metal when she turned to face her friend. She had on a white tank top and blue jeans that flared at the bottom over her white sneakers; only instead of a belt around her waist she had a silver chain held at the front by a lock. On the belt loops of her pants she had a different lock for each loop; some were plain and square, others were round, some had dials and some required keys. The keys were all attached to key rings that were attached to each other to form a bracelet around her left wrist. She looked cute, but make no mistake, Yumi wasn't the cute, innocent helpless type.

-I-I called you ten times!- Cari stuttered, slightly flushed. -Do you know how many people stared at m-me!?- She then noticed what had distracted her friend. -Did you get a call?- She asked, looking down at the black cell phone in her friend's hand.

Yumi hurriedly flipped the phone down and into her pocket, but not before her shy friend had been able to catch a glimpse of the message. _"Good luck." Now who would send her that message?_ Cari wondered. _She never gives out her cell number to anyone but close friends...meaning only a list of about five people._

-Ready for the soccer game?- Yumi asked Cari, grinning.

-Y-Yes...- Cari was a shy girl, rather timid, which was completely opposite of her appearance just like with Yumi. She wore a baggy black T-shirt with a grey skull design on the front, a rose between the teeth. It hung low over her black, grey, and green plaid miniskirt. Black stockings rose to her knees and on her feet were simple brown shoes. Her hair was cut short to her ears, and was white with a tint of light purple to it, and her eyes a soft brown. She was cute, so boys were always into her, but unfortunately she hated attention.

-I can't wait!- Cari exclaimed happily as they walked down the street together. She shy and timid around everyone but her closest friends.

Both girls were on a high ranking soccer team from their school. Red Hill High School used to be one of those hardly known, unimportant schools when it came to the soccer area of sports. It focused more on track and field, swimming, tennis, etc. That was before Yumi came, however. Ever since she joined the soccer team, it had changed. The girls were more aggressive, eager to play to win and have fun at the same time, ready for the harsh training of their new captain.

And two of the girls had become very close to Yumi; Cari was one of them. The other...

A figure was in sight at the bus stop down on the bench. Their head was resting on their soccer bag like it was a pillow, a white sunhat forced down to cover their eyes from the morning sun. Hands folded over a brown leather vest and pale blue turtleneck, black pants flaring out with brown boots poking out from the ends. It all looked strangely cheery on the sleeping person.

That is, until they woke up.

Sitting up, the hat was tilted back up to lean properly on the girl's head and springy blond curls fell down to mid-back, framing a tanned face and ocean blue eyes. Those who didn't know better would think her a happy, go-lucky beautiful girl. Yumi and Cari knew better. -Hey…- Ieris greeted gruffly, face remaining an indifferent expression of boredom.

There was absolutely nothing cheery about Ieris, Yumi thought with a smirk. There was about as much cheer in Ieris as there was innocence in her. _And that isn't damn much._ She thought. Her parents had seriously considered calling in for some anger management courses for her before she had some friends to calm her down…even if the methods were rather unusual.

* * *

"Tezuka, you dropped your keys." Fuji informed the captain while they were changing for afternoon tennis practice.

"Thanks." Tezuka replied, retrieving them from the tensai and placing them carefully in the pocket of his folded pants, along with the cell phone already there.

Fuji raised an eyebrow curiously. One of those keys was much smaller than the others, and shaped rather...cutely. Not quite the thing that Tezuka would have fashioned for himself. He chuckled slightly at the thought of it being a bike lock that the heart shaped key was for, imagining the lock to be pink with red hearts or something silly like that. When Tezuka looked at him questioningly, he said with a smile "Nothing, just thinking of something."

When Tezuka turned away to finish changing into the Regulars uniform, Fuji thought that maybe—it was just a hunch, really, but those usually had interesting results—maybe it would be worth looking into a bit.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 2**

-Alright Red Hill, gather round!- The captain of the soccer team, Jun, ordered. Her voice wasn't screaming out at the group on the school field, nor did it carry well, which was why no one moved to circle around her. But that didn't stop her from replacing the old captain when Yumi came to town.

-Lucy and Lacy, do your thing.- Jun said, not even bothering to look up from her clipboard at the twin girls on either side of her.

Both red haired, hazel eyed girls jumped up from the bench, and the pigtails at the opposite sides of their heads bounced lightly (Lucy's on the left and Lacy's on the right). With matching grins of pearly white teeth, they brought their hands around their mouths and...

-Y'ALL GATHER ROUND **NOW**!-

Those on the field immediately stopped whatever they were practicing, trying to hurry back to the captain before the ear piercing horse whistle came that followed the really, extremely loud shout. -Alright, girls.- Jun stated, tapping her pen on her clipboard and regarding the team before her with sharp crystalline blue eyes. Her black hair was pulled into a bun on the back of her head with a spare pen and a pencil stuck through it. -Remember last month, how we were invited to Italy to play in a tournament and practice with the schools there?-

The girls dressed in shiny black shorts, red jerseys, and black socks over their shin guards nodded along with responding -Yeah!-

-Well, this month we've been invited to Japan, and they're going to fund our trip there.- Jun continued. -However, I want to know how many of you are up to it.-

_Japan!?_ Yumi thought in delighted surprise. She was the first one to step forward as a willing participant. A half step behind her was the rest of the team.

-We all are, Captain!- The girls announced spiritedly.

-Good, then I'll arrange everything now.- Jun said, smiling in satisfaction. -Practice is over!-

Yumi walked down the street in her uniform still, the same with Ieris and Cari. Over their shoulders hung their bags and at their feet they casually dribbled their own soccer balls as they walked. -Going back to Japan after nine years...- Yumi murmured thoughtfully. -I've visited once or twice, but never for as long as a tournament...-

-It's going to be interesting...- Cari agreed quietly. -I was born there.-

-I started in America, moved there for three years, and then came back.- Ieris stated, grabbing her hat from her bag that held her clean, non-sweaty clothes and placing it on her head to block the sun from shining into her eyes. She ignored the stares from some other pedestrians at the odd combination of clothes.

As they passed by a few convenience stores on the way to their homes, Yumi suddenly stopped, placing a foot on her ball so that it wouldn't roll away. -...Oh my god...Wait for me!- She told the other two, before kicking her ball up in order to grab it and hurrying into the store.

-She must've seen a lock or something.- Cari said, smiling softly. Ieris only grunted in agreement. Gazing through the window of the shop's display, Cari asked curiously -Why does Yumi have a tiny tennis ball charm dangling from her cell phone?-

Ieris shrugged, but glanced into the shop curiously. -Maybe a friend is into it.-

-...-

-...Well, it could be someone in Japan she knows...- Ieris muttered, seeing the 'come on' look Cari was sending her.

* * *

Tezuka was in class when he felt his cell phone vibrate soundlessly in his pocket. Taking it out and flipping it open, he read the message displayed there.

"_I finally found a strawberry lock! The fruit basket is now complete!"_

_Yumi_

Tezuka smiled a bit at that. For years she had been collecting locks, and ever since she found a watermelon lock she had wanted to gather as many locks as she could that were shaped as the fruits she knew.

Fuji glanced over Tezuka's shoulder discreetly, and smiled a full smile. _"Yumi", hm? The name could belong to a male or a female, but…_ He managed to glance at the picture used as Tezuka's background. It showed the smiling face of a girl that he didn't recognize. So Yumi was most likely female, and looked like their age. Was it a recent photo? She looked like a…well, normal wasn't quite the word as she looked quite innocent and beautiful.

Realizing that Fuji was watching him with curiosity, Tezuka flipped down his phone and tucked it away. But not before the tensai's sharp eyes caught one more thing: a small charm attached to the bottom of the cell phone.

_I didn't know Tezuka liked soccer._

* * *

-Oh man I can't believe I remember how to speak Japanese!- Yumi said in English with a laugh as she walked through the airport with the rest of the team. They had just arrived in Japan.

-I'm glad four of us at least have a chance of speaking it.- Another girl on the team, Megan, stated. -The rest of us only know English. We can't speak the language of every country we go to or we could become world translators!-

-We can speak it!- The twins declared proudly. -We got a tutor and learned within the few weeks we had to wait to get a flight here!-

-Yeah but I swear you two aren't human.- Nzinga replied. -You'll learn anything you put your mind to in an impossible amount of time, but anything else you're so slow at...-

-So we have a selective learning disability.- The twins said, shrugging.

-You mean selective attention span.- Megan muttered.

-_No_, disability. When we call it that we can get away with more.- The twins corrected, smiling like little angels.

"You guys remember Japanese?" Yumi asked Cari and Ieris.

"It's what I speak to my parents at home." Cari answered.

"Once you learn a language for three years, you don't forget it." Ieris stated, stuffing the hand not carrying her bag into her pants pocket.

"My aunt and uncle live here." Yumi stated. "They're letting us stay at their house for as long as we'll be practicing by the schools there, instead of at the hotel with the rest of the girls."

"Sounds good." The other two replied.

"Jun, where do we meet first?" Cari asked.

"It's a school nearby our hotel, 'Hyoutei'." Jun answered. "I'm sure your aunt and uncle know where it is. Be there at our usual morning practice time."

"Right." Yumi slung her luggage/soccer bag over her shoulder and went to where a man with short, curly black hair and a few laughing wrinkles around his eyes waited. "Hey Uncle Shin." She greeted, smiling as she was drawn into a hug.

"My how you've grown!" Her uncle stated proudly. "And these are your friends? I'm Yumi's uncle, Shin Minamoto." He turned back to Yumi. "My wife's in the car waiting for us."

"Hello girls!" A woman with brown hair pulled into a bun and some signs of aging on her face called out from the open window of a car. "I'm Yumi's aunt, Ruka Minamoto. Let's put your bags in the trunk and hop in so we can get you settled!"

* * *

Tezuka felt the familiar vibration of his cell phone as he received a message.

_You'll never guess where Red Hill's playing next._

He thought about that, pulling out his agenda from school. In the back was a small world map, and various countries and states had been listed. _She's been to Italy, Germany, Britain, France, and to eight different states of America._

He typed his reply. _California?_

The teacher came in to start class, and Tezuka had to put away his phone to take out his notebooks. He felt the vibrated reply afterwards, but couldn't check the message until after school.

Fuji noticed Tezuka's distraction throughout class and recalled the conversation he'd had with all of the Regulars. Well, all except for Tezuka...

...

"_What?! Tezuka and a girl?!"_

_Fuji nodded. "He gets messages from her. I saw one signed 'Yumi'. And the background of his cell phone has a picture of a girl."_

"_Yumi, hm...?" Inui muttered to himself, thinking hard._

"_Does anyone remember someone with that name hanging with Tezuka-buchou when he was in elementary school?" Momoshiro asked._

"_...I don't think so." Oishi said slowly._

"_He never seemed interested in any girls." Eiji added._

"_So is she a tennis player?" Kawamura asked._

"_Most likely." Kaidoh said._

"_I can't think of any with the name 'Yumi', though." Inui commented. "I'll do some research into it. They may have gone to the same school at some point..."_

* * *

"Yumi, what is that around your neck?" Mr. Minamoto asked.

"This? It's a lock." Yumi replied in an 'isn't it obvious' tone.

"She collects them, Mr. Minamoto." Cari spoke up quietly. She was still a little timid around the couple.

"Why is it around your neck? Shouldn't you take it off for when we go out to dinner?" Mrs. Minamoto asked. "You were going to wear that lovely blouse from our daughter's old belongings. I saw you took off all the belts and bracelets of your other locks."

"I don't take _this_ one off." Yumi stated firmly. "I only take it off for when I shower, that's it, no exceptions."

"Alright, alright, we won't ask again. It looks nice, dear." Mr. Minamoto assured his niece.

As they stepped into the car to go to the restaurant, Yumi fingered the lock around her neck, deep in thought.

"You must've gotten that from a really important person."

Yumi looked up to see that it was Ieris who had made the comment. She smiled a bit, a smile, not a grin. "...Yeah. We were pretty close as kids."

"Do you stay in touch?" Cari asked.

"Yup, even though there's a huge difference in time zones. We mostly have to text each other." Yumi replied. "But it's pretty regular."

"Guy or girl?" Ieris and Cari asked, both curious as to the answer. Yumi had always gone into one of many vicious temper spasms when boys annoyed her. That was mostly when they did anything but leave her alone, since she claimed that all of them didn't like her for her but for her looks. Girls stood a better chance at liking her as a person, and to become a friend, or even better yet, a good friend (which she only had two of). So they fully expected it to be some amazing, not-of-this-world girl who was just like Yumi.

Seeing that if she didn't tell them they'd hound her for it for the rest of the evening, Yumi replied reluctantly "...Guy..."

For the rest of the ride the radio was the only noise, Ieris and Cari trying to get over their surprise. _It was a guy who gave her that!? He'd better be in the same part of Japan as we are so we can meet him!_


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 3**

Tezuka pulled out his cell phone and finally read the message he got.

_Not California, but I hope to go there next. It's Japan!_

_I never would've guessed..._ Tezuka thought in amazement. _I should really watch one of her soccer games. _He typed a reply and sent it. _When are you coming?_

He was shocked when a reply came to him not five minutes after. It would've been an ungodly hour of the night in the States, considering it was currently nearing the end of his lunch period.

_I'm here right now. I'll phone you after school._

Fuji watched on in interest as he saw Tezuka nearly drop his phone. "...Was the message that bad?" He asked casually.

"No." Tezuka replied after a moment. He had the smallest smile on his face that Fuji really had to look to see. "Actually, it's good news." But a smile was a smile nonetheless; Fuji was now intrigued.

* * *

Yumi laughed quietly to herself as she flipped her phone shut and stuffed it back into her soccer bag. She was at soccer practice, so she couldn't afford him trying to call her and interrupt. But boy could she just imagine the look on his face when he read her last message. _Way to break it easy on the guy, Yumi…_

Her good mood was interrupted by Lucy and Lacy calling out her name, loudly and piercingly as usual. -YUMI CAPTAIN JUN WANTS YOU!!-

Sighing, Yumi made her way to Jun. She hoped that they wouldn't be practicing at Hyoutei all the time; the school was very kind allowing them to use the soccer fields for the whole day. That wasn't the problem. They didn't need them the full day, just for some morning and afternoon practices (the rest of the time was for their own devices).

The problem focused solely on the other club that had morning and afternoon practices at the same time: the tennis club. Red Hill had had poor first impressions of them from the morning, and now they had to deal with them and their poor attempts at English pick-up lines in the afternoon, too. Luckily that had been Red Hill's only morning practice; the rest would be during the afternoon, and NOT at Hyoutei. She certainly wouldn't go to Hyoutei for making up lessons, either. They had to attend some tutoring or class sessions to make up for how they were spending over a week in Japan.

When Yumi approached and stopped before her, Jun turned away from the Captain of the tennis club's team, who was for some reason not looking very pleased. -Yumi, he's complaining about your bike being locked up against the fence to the tennis courts.- She said with a sigh.

-Well if that's such a problem why doesn't he unlock it?- Yumi asked caustically, rolling her eyes.

-That wouldn't be such a problem if I knew which lock _to_ unlock.- Atobe stated in pretty good English, crossing his arms.

-So some of them _can_ speak English.- Yumi commented, walking with Atobe close behind her to get to the tennis courts. -You better not have broken my bike trying to get it off the fence; it has to bring three of us girls home.- As Yumi approached the courts she saw some of the members kneeling by her bike gazing at the locks holding it.

"I still say it's the pink one with the white happy face..." A sleepy brunette said.

"How many locks does she _need_?" A boy with red hair huffed, gazing at the complex system of chains and locks that seemed to all connect in random places but somehow attached to the fence quite securely. "Can't you hurry it up and pick them open already, Yuushi?"

"It's the pink one..."

"I would, but it takes _time_, Gakuto." A blue haired boy answered. "Each lock is different, and requires a different combination or key." He pushed up his glasses and straightened from his crouched position. "Besides, the owner is right here, it's much easier just asking her for the keys to unlock this mess."

"White happy face..." The brunette still insisted.

-Let's see, hm...- Yumi crouched down by her bike to regard the intertwined chains and many, many locks that all seemed to be in pointless places. Reaching into the mess with one hand, the other pulled out a plain black hair pin that kept her bangs back (the flower ones weren't appropriate for soccer practice). Reaching in, after a few seconds a click was heard and Yumi pulled out one lock.

"I _told_ you it was the pink one with the white happy face." Jirou muttered.

"It didn't even have a key, how did Atobe expect us to get the locks off?" Gakuto muttered.

Yumi then proceeded to unwind the chains, which came away easily now that the one lock was gone. She was left with a good weight of chains and locks which she stuffed into a small bag behind her seat. -There, done. Gees you guys are sad, worrying about a bike locked to the outside of the fence...- She said, half expecting them not to answer.

-Actually,- The blue haired boy started, ignoring Atobe's warning of "Oshitari...". -It was Atobe who really wanted it removed. We don't know why.-

-I still don't get what the deal is with this, but whatever.- Yumi muttered, moving her bike to a bench instead. -Is here fine?- She made sure to ask the boys watching her curiously, her tone mocking.

-Well, Atobe?- Oshitari asked.

-Yes, that's fine.- Atobe huffed, not at all pleased by Yumi's attitude.

-Oh good now that it's had _royal approval_...- Yumi drawled sarcastically. She turned to Oshitari and said normally -By the way, your English is pretty good. Oshitari, right? See you later.- She smirked and started walking back to the soccer field, leaving some surprised tennis players.

"She's different, isn't she?" Hiroshi commented.

"That's not the word I would use." Shishido commented. "And dammit why do all the members keep trying to sneak off to hit on those girls? Like we can't see them!" He moved to go fetch two juniors back to the courts when something stopped him.

Yumi strode angrily up to the latest two boys who happened to be pestering Cari. The shy girl could only blush and stutter while looking down. -We just can't get any break from this!!- Her red eyes were quite clearly sparking in anger like fire. The two juniors started backing away when they saw that. "LISTEN UP!!" Yumi shouted, not just to the two boys in front of her but all the way back to the tennis courts.

Most attention turned to her out of surprise, not knowing that some of the Americans could speak Japanese...and so _loudly_.

Yumi crossed her arms. "IF **ANYONE** AND I MEAN **ANYONE** IS GOING TO TRY HITTING ON US GIRLS AGAIN, YOU BETTER DO IT IN **DECENT ENGLISH,** IDIOTS!" Giving a deathly glare for good measure, she then turned and promptly led Cari back to soccer practice.

"...No, Shishido, I think 'different' is exactly the right word for her." Oshitari commented with a smirk.

"I'm just glad that they're practicing at some other school tomorrow." Atobe muttered, as they turned back to their own practice.

* * *

-PRACTICE OVER, DISMISSED!- The twins called out.

Yumi snickered when she saw the tennis players flinch, startled. She would never get tired of that. She ran for her soccer bag even though she'd been running for hours, hurrying into the girls gym change rooms given to them inside the school. After she had showered quickly and changed into casual clothes, she returned outside to toss her bag into the large van that carried the team's stuff to and from the hotel. Pulling out her cell phone, she called her Uncle and Aunt's house.

"Ready to head somewhere for a much needed snack?" Cari asked sweetly, coming up to Yumi with Ieris alongside her. They had also showered and changed into casual clothes.

"Definitely." Yumi replied, ending the phone call. Unlocking her bike and winding the chain up around the bars on her bike, she waited for the other two. Cari stood on two spokes coming out from the back wheel of her bike and gripped Yumi's shoulders for balance while Ieris stepped on the spokes on the front wheel, sitting on the handle bars to keep balanced.

"Wait!"

Yumi turned to see Atobe striding up. Rolling her eyes, she said in annoyance "What now...?"

"I want to know your names." Atobe stated, crossing his arms.

_The monkey wants our names? NOW he's interested in us? _Ieris made a 'tch' sound and turned to look back and down at Yumi. "Do the honours for us?"

"Sure thing." Yumi replied. Flipping Atobe off, she said to him harshly "Control your club members first, _Captain_!" And then promptly rode off, unhampered by the two extra bodies on the bike.

Atobe stood their in utter shock. _No one_ had flipped him off before. _No one_. Frowning, he found himself curious about these girls. They weren't going back to the hotel with the team, so they must have some other place to stay. Relatives, maybe? Odd, he was sure he'd remember them if they lived in biking distance to Hyoutei. Maybe they went to Seigaku, or Rikkaidai, or...there were a bunch of possibilities, but they were riding a bike somewhere so they must've lived in Japan at some point to know where they were going.

"Ouch, that was harsh." Gakuto said with a whistle when Atobe turned back to them. "I never thought I'd say this, but she is definitely not in your league."

"Not in my league?" Atobe asked incredulously. "No girl is a match for me!"

Shishido was about to make a comment on that when Oshitari said smoothly "Believe what you want, Atobe. It doesn't really matter anyways; tomorrow they're at a different school."

"Hmph; fine." Atobe muttered.

* * *

"Yumi? What's the hurry?" Mrs. Minamoto asked as Yumi untied an apron that had flour on it and dashed out of the kitchen.

"Not now Auntie! I've got an important call to make!" Yumi called down quickly from her room.

"Who is she calling? Friends in America?" Mrs. Minamoto asked Ieris and Cari, who were just starting to dig into the freshly baked pie they had made. She cut a slice to set aside for Yumi for when she came back down.

"I hope not." Mr. Minamoto spoke up. "That's going to be a heavy long distance bill…"

"No, all her friends are on the soccer team." Cari said quietly.

"What? A sweet girl like her only has friends on her team?" Mrs. Minamoto asked, shocked. She noticed how Ieris nearly choked on her food and frowned slightly. "Has she had problems at school making friends?"

"Not really." Ieris said. _I was actually choking from the "sweet girl" part..._"Actually, lots of people want to be her friends. But she doesn't want to be with them; they just want something from her." She resumed taking another bite of pie. "Yumi picks her own friends and knows what she wants."

"That's how the soccer team started, actually." Cari said, smiling. "She loves soccer, and she went around picking people out that she could feel would love it too. I used to be so quiet and shy, but now..." She smiled happily.

"You're still quiet and shy." Ieris informed her. "It's just that now you have friends." She leaned back in her chair, finished her pie. "I used to be the loner of the class. I used to be asked out a lot for my looks just like Yumi, but I got angry and just didn't get close to anyone, pushing them all away. Yumi wouldn't leave me alone, but I'm glad."

"That's why we were so surprised when sometimes, in America, she would let it slip about someone in Japan." Cari said. "From what we gathered, that person was a really good friend, and to get Yumi to talk about them like that..."

"The person must've been amazing." Ieris finished. "We don't believe that a guy can handle her, though, and be her best friend."

Meanwhile, in her room, Yumi dialled a number she had memorized _and_ on speed dial. It rang a few times and then someone picked up.

"Hello?"

"Kunimitsu?" She asked, grinning.

"Yeah. How have you been, Yumi?"

She could almost hear the smile in Tezuka's voice, even though she knew it wouldn't be seen on his face. "Great! I can't believe I still remember my Japanese!" She laughed and plopped down on her bed. "I'm here with the team, but they're staying at a hotel. I'm at my aunt and uncle's house with my two girl friends!"

"Is it still in our old neighbourhood?"

"Old neighbourhood...? Wait, does that mean you moved too?! Now how am I going to find you?" Yumi frowned. "You didn't even give me your new number!"

"You wouldn't use it much."  Tezuka answered knowingly. "Long distance, remember? We always text each other's cell phones or use email."

"Yeah, yeah, quit always being right!" Yumi complained good-naturedly. "Actually, what's funny about this trip is that since we're here for awhile, and we're missing a lot of school, we have to actually take classes still."

"But some of the team doesn't speak English, right?"

"They've got bilingual teachers." Yumi replied. "But those of us who can speak Japanese—me, Ieris, Cari, the twins and Jun—get to go to a Japanese school for classes!"

"Do you know which one?" There was definite interest in Tezuka's tone.

"Not yet, I think we get to choose from the schools we practice at." Yumi said cheerfully. "I've just randomly picked a number and chose the second one. We've already practiced at-"

She stopped mid sentence when from the other end of the line she heard a lot of loud voices in the background. "...Company?" She asked, when it finally settled down.

"Yeah, the team is over for dinner. They-"

Yumi heard some muffled noises in the background and Tezuka's warning of "Eiji!" Before someone else's voice came on the line, all cheerful.

"Hoi hoi! Is this Tezuka's friend? It is, right?"

Then there was a bit of static and another, slightly deeper voice said "We're on Tezuka's team! What's your name?"

Yumi abruptly hung up. Standing, she went downstairs to finally get her slice of pie.

"Who were you talking to?" Mr. Minamoto asked curiously.

He was even more baffled when all he got as an answer was "My first impression is that they're a bunch of idiots, no matter what he's been telling me about them. This pie is good, thanks!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 4**

"Ieris, you have some thin, tight shorts to wear under this skirt right? My mom unpacked mine."

"Yeah. Catch."

"Thanks."

"Are you ready yet...?"

"Take it easy, Cari."

"You can't expect her to go like you are. This _is_ Yumi we're talking about."

"Gee thanks." Yumi said sarcastically, neatly tying the scarf of the school uniform she was dressed in. "What's the name of this school again? I never learned it, I just knew I'd be taking classes in the second school we'll practice in."

"Never mind that, let's just go for breakfast." Ieris said, flipping her blond curls back over her shoulder. She wore the same uniform as Yumi and Cari.

"Don't you look nice, girls!" Mrs. Minamoto complimented, as the trio entered the kitchen where she had breakfast all laid out for them. "The uniforms look good on you."

"I never really appreciated freedom of dress until now." Yumi answered dully, causing the others to laugh. She had opted to wear tight black shorts under her green skirt. Cari and Ieris wore the uniform as it was. Everyone at school was bound to get the wrong first impression; Ieris looked like an all-holy angel come to school. Cari looked like a happy, outgoing cutie. Yumi herself looked like an innocent, beautiful girl.

"Here's a small map I made for you girls." Mrs. Minamoto said. "I'm sure you'll find it much easier to read than what my husband gave you." She passed them a small folded piece of paper, which Cari took.

"Thanks! Bye!"

"Ok, so it's the second street on our left." Cari read from the map, standing on the back of Yumi's bike as they rode down the sidewalk.

"Got it." Yumi turned carefully since Ieris was holding down her skirt from where she was sitting on the handle bars so it wouldn't go flying up on her.

"Second right."

Ieris told Yumi that it was safe to cross the road and they carried on, reaching the school in a decent time. "What class are you in?" Yumi asked as she locked her bike up with her complex system of chains and locks.

"3-1." Cari said. "Are you in my class too?" She asked hopefully, and more quietly than she usually spoke around her best friends.

"I am." Ieris said, her hands moving to go into her pockets before she realized the skirt didn't have any. She settled for crossing her arms instead. "I'll deal with introductions, don't worry."

"You'll have your own problems to deal with." Yumi pointed out with a laugh. "You might as well just tell the whole class in your introductions 'sorry boys, not interested'." She was holding her own schedule in her hand. Apparently hers was room 3-6.

"Yeah well speak for yourself." Ieris answered. "You're the one who's refused the whole male population of our city...twice."

"Ouch, you got me there." Yumi laughed again. "In we go girls, time to show them who we really are!" She grabbed the hands of her two true friends and strode into the school with high confidence.

That was one of Ieris and Cari's favourite things that Yumi said. It was an honest phrase like that which brought them out of the shells they didn't like and showed them the difference of a smile. They just hoped no one got Yumi mad. They weren't in the same class so they couldn't do anything to help her calm down.

* * *

"These are two students who will be studying abroad here for the next while." The teacher said to a class who was suddenly interested in what he had to say and show them. "They're from America." -We have student here speak English.- He said in choppy English with a heavy accent to the two girls.

The cute lavender haired girl hid further behind the angelic blond haired girl. -Yeah you speak English _good_.- Ieris said, deliberately emphasising bad grammar, causing Cari to smile and giggle a bit, and making her instant fans at how adorable she was. So everyone could understand, not just Cari and some guy in the corner who wasn't giving a confused look at what she said, Ieris started using Japanese.

"We speak Japanese just fine, don't try and impress us with your English. I'm White Ieris, yes I have put my last name first since that is proper here, and this is my friend." She looked back at Cari. "Her name's Yamanako Cari. She's very shy, so go easy on her. I find out you picked on her, you're going to regret it."

"Thank you, please have a seat behind Tezuka Kunimitsu. He's the best at English in our class. Tezuka, raise your hand please." The teacher ordered.

Ieris and Cari made their way to the desks behind Tezuka, who didn't look too thrilled at having company behind him—that were girls—but otherwise remained stoic. It was going to be a long day; almost the entire male population now had something other than the chalkboard to look at.

* * *

"Class, listen up! We have a new student here from America." The teacher turned to Yumi and said in the worst English she had ever heard -Speak you English? Name tell you.-

Yumi resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the clichéd introduction in Japanese and the death-worthy mutilation of English. Instead she smiled, instantly awarding her with a few whistles and many, many pairs of eyes. She felt someone looking at her sharply, but couldn't quite detect who. -Yeah sure I'll introduce myself. Alright then I love soccer I can't stand idiots I've got two best girl friends and a whole team of friends I started off living in Japan and then moved away when I was ten I love locks and plants but I hate people who try and befriend others just for their looks and so to conclude guys, forget about dating me, I'd rather drop kick you.- She bowed. "And my name is Tsukiyama Yumi."

-So you do speak Japanese.- A smiling boy with soft brown hair commented as she took a seat in front of him.

-The name's Yumi, nice to meet you.- Yumi greeted, turning in her seat and holding out a hand.

"Fuji." The boy answered, shaking her hand with a slightly mysterious smile. "Likewise, Tsukiyama-chan."

"Just Yumi's fine." She said, smiling. "Last name's too long for anyone's good, so forget calling me _that_."

"And I'm Kikumaru Eiji!" The boy to Fuji's right said energetically (from the way Yumi was facing he was on her left).

"..." Yumi frowned slightly. _Eiji...I'm sure I've heard that name in passing before..._ She shrugged it off and started paying attention to the lesson after shaking hands with Eiji—although it was more like he was shaking her hand and her hand had to go limp to stay alive.

Luckily for her the class passed quickly; she had a feeling English class would, considering she knew everything. Pulling out a bento that Cari had been a dear and made for her (Ieris also had one, Cari was the best cook out of all of them), Yumi quickly ate what was inside and then stood and stretched. Seeing that she was done eating, immediately the other students in the room started gravitating towards her and she found herself the center of the class's attention. _Great..._ She thought, as the long-awaited infamous thousand-questions-for-the-new-girl came.

_I can't even pick out an individual question out of this blabbering mess!_ Yumi rolled her eyes and searched for a way out. In a flash she was jumping over chairs and using her arms to help her vault over desks towards the exit. Making it out the door, she immediately dodged left.

The bunch of students rushed out to see if they could catch her, at least the boys did, but to no avail; they couldn't see her running down the hall in either direction. Spotting the girl's washroom, they waited nearby there to wait for her to come out.

Yumi peeked back behind the large figure she was standing in front and sighed in relief, then kept walking in front of them. Due to their large height and muscular figure (and she was sure the mountain of burgers in their arms had something to do with it) no one from behind could tell she was in front of the person.

"Careful, or I'm going to run into you." The boy warned.

"I know. Thanks for becoming a temporary wall." Yumi said, laughing a bit as she moved to his side and walked in step with him. "Mind showing me the way to the cafeteria? I'm new here." _And it will be much safer to eat there than in the classroom where I can be cornered by those rabid questioners._

"Sure, no problem." The boy said with a grin.

Once at the cafeteria Yumi watched to see where he went. There might be some arrangement where groups of friends claimed a table and sat there for the rest of the year. She didn't want to find out she was sitting in someone else's seat. Then she caught sight of Fuji and Eiji, chatting at a table with a bunch of other boys. One boy had oddly familiar golden brown hair. Pulling out her cell phone, Yumi quickly typed a message. _Guess what school I'm going to?_

Almost immediately afterwards she saw him pull out a cell phone. Their back was to her, but she could still see his phone which was held a bit to the side of him. _I don't know, where are you?_ Came the reply on her phone. Chuckling, Yumi typed her message and then started walking towards the group. Once she was close enough, she hit send.

_Right behind you._

To her amusement Tezuka twisted in his seat and looked back, then ended up dropping his cell phone in his shock as he stared at her. Yumi quickly took another step forward and caught the phone on the top of her shoe, deftly flipping it up the way she would a soccer ball and having it land on her thigh before she took it in her hand. "You should have told me you go to Seigaku, Kunimitsu." She said, smiling.

Tezuka's eyes went wide and Yumi savoured in the drastic change in expression that as far as she knew, only she could cause. She didn't even notice the open mouthed shock of the other boys at the table. Instead she flipped open his cell phone to see the picture of her on the background and smiled, a few tears making it to her eyes despite her efforts to hold them back. "Here I thought you didn't get the pictures I sent you."

"Yumi...?" Tezuka slowly took his phone back, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

"Who's the chick...?" Momoshiro asked the others quietly. He hadn't gotten a good look at her in the hallway.

"Tezuka made a girl cry in happiness...oh my gosh..." Oishi said in astonishment.

"They're already at a first name basis...!" Eiji squeaked.

"Kunimitsu." Yumi smiled and took his hand. "Let's go for a walk quickly." She ignored the stares they got as Tezuka packed up his lunch and followed her out the cafeteria, down the hallways to go to the schoolyard.

"Yumi, why didn't you tell me you were going to Seigaku?" Tezuka berated. "I would have been here before morning practice to greet you."

"Idiot, I had no clue you were going here. You never told me, remember?" Yumi reminded him with a smile. "I haven't even seen one picture from you, and you didn't tell me the names of your teammates when you talked about them!" She brought her hand to her neck and pulled out the chain there. "Well? You still have your half?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course." Tezuka pulled out his keys and held up a small heart shaped one. It was the very same one he wasn't aware Fuji had seen.

Meanwhile, both of them were being watched from behind the corner of the school wall Yumi was leaning against. "What's the key for?" Momoshiro asked.

"Fsh, the lock, stupid!"

"I know that, but why does she have a lock around her neck?!" Momoshiro hissed back at Kaidoh.

"She seems so innocent and mild tempered." Oishi said, trying to identify the new girl's personality.

"So Tezuka-buchou goes for the innocent type?" Momoshiro grinned.

Yumi held out the lock on her chain towards Tezuka, who proceeded to unlock it. "...I noticed you had my soccer charm on your cell phone." She said, gazing at the reunited lock and key.

"You had my tennis charm." He countered. Yumi laughed lightly; he hadn't heard that since she phoned to see how he was doing in Germany.

"True." Yumi relocked her chain after Tezuka had taken the key back. "I'd feel silly not having it on after all this time." She explained to him. Pushing herself away from the wall, she stretched. Spying a rock on the ground, she poked at it with her shoe, testing the weight.

The Regulars peeking from behind the wall fell back with muffled shouts of surprise as a projectile hurtled itself full speed towards them. The rock landed a good distance away, after hitting a tree, having hit no one but leaving a nice white scar from where it punctured through bark. "Th-That was as fast as a speed serve!!" Momoshiro stuttered.

"...Too bad I can't hang up the phone on you idiots like I could last time."

They looked up to see Yumi standing over them, an odd expression on her face as she looked down at them. The warning bell rang. "I'm off to class Kunimitsu!" She called cheerfully to the teen still on the other side of the wall before walking off.

"...Hm... 'mild tempered' is only the first impression." Inui muttered as he wrote in his notebook. "Still possibility she is type 'innocent'. Probability of being a soccer player: 91."

Walking back to her class, Yumi didn't even balk at the change in looks she was receiving. Although, she noticed that suddenly she had made a few enemies. She sat down at her desk and started trying to put lead into her mechanical pencil, clicking the eraser up and down waiting for the lead to be fed through out the tip.

A thud on her desk drew her eyes upward to see three girls standing around it. "Tsukiyama?" One of them asked haughtily.

"Yeah, that's me." Yumi said, still feeding the lead through. _click click_

"You're a new student here from America." _click_ "Today's your first day." _click_ As the girl spoke with her eyebrow twitching slightly, Yumi continued to try and get the lead through her pencil. She had similar experiences with similar people. _click_ "So what makes you think you have the right to be so forward around Tezuka-sama?!" The girl finished angrily.

..._click_.

Yumi slowly raised her eyes to meet those of the girls, and they took a step back at the challenging spirit held in their red depths. "...If I'm not honest with him, then I'm not really being myself, now am I? I believe it's better to be yourself around everyone than always having to perform an act around someone." She looked at her pencil and dumped the lead out from it. "Ah, no wonder. I was putting in 0.7mm lead, not 0.5mm."

"Don't think you can just avoid our question!" The third girl snapped. "It's an unspoken rule that fans of the tennis Regulars don't approach them!"

"I guess it just became a spoken rule, then." Yumi stood to glare levelly at the girls. Slowly, she said venomously "The people I know and talk to aren't any of your business; don't try and live my life for me." Sitting back down, she returned to her casual self, all anger with the girls gone. "You should really go back to your own seats. Sensei's coming in the door."

"Were they bothering you, Yumi?" Fuji asked as he and Eiji moved to their seats.

"Nah, not really. Do you have 0.5mm lead? I'm all out." Yumi said cheerfully.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I just want to make it clear to my readers that this is NOT going to become one of those fics where the girl has to deal with an obsessed crazy fanclub. She is not taking on the entire female population; it will remain as the three girls who made their appearances in this chapter.


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 5**

"Look at that bus!"

"Is there a tennis match again?!"

"No, I heard an American soccer team was practicing here today."

"I heard they're really good!"

"What?! No way!"

"It's a girl's team?"

"Wow they're hot!"

Yumi ignored the hushed murmurs of the students going home for the day as she strode up to meet the team, Ieris and Cari at her sides. -Hey girls! We know the way to the gym change rooms so Jun, if you could just grab the field...-

-Sure.- Jun tucked her clipboard under her arm and started walking off. Meanwhile, the group of fit girls with soccer bags over their shoulders made their way into the school.

"By the way, that guy I told you about, my friend in Japan?" Yumi said to Ieris and Cari. "He goes to this school. I'll introduce you girls to him after practice."

The twins overheard the conversation and proceeded to whisper a translation to the team. Soon every girl had planned on staying a bit after practice to see the only boy Yumi had ever gotten very close to.

Changing into the red and black uniform, the girls made their way back out to the field, each carrying their own soccer ball in their own way. -JUN!!- The twins called, waving to the girl standing by the soccer field. She turned to them, but the expression on her face was not that of a person ready to start the team on their practice. To top it off, there was already a soccer team of boys practicing on the field. The _only_ field.

-Bad news. The school gave the ok to us to use the field, but Seigaku's soccer team just called a sudden practice.- Jun grimaced a bit, pushing her pen that she had previously been tapping on her clipboard into her hair bun. -Seems they're practicing for the same tournament we'll be entering.-

-We can't just cancel practice!- One of the girls exclaimed.

-I totally agree.-

Jun looked at Yumi with a curious frown. -Yumi? I doubt they'll listen just for a pretty girl; believe me, I've tried that already.-

Yumi had a set determination in her eyes when she looked over the team that she was so proud of, the team that now showed disappointment at the thought of missing even one practice. -...Who says we need a soccer field to play soccer?-

The girls got hopeful faces again. -That's right!- -We don't need that thing, the boys can have it!- -We can still practice!-

Yumi smiled, and pulled out a tie to hold her hair in a ponytail. -...Let me try. We NEVER give up. Hold the floor for me, Jun.-

-As always.- Jun said with a smile.

* * *

Tezuka was about to start practice off with his usual bellowing order, but before he could Fuji said something that stopped him: "Yumi? So you're part of the soccer team after all. What's wrong?"

Turning, Tezuka saw Yumi walking into the courts, soccer ball tucked under her arm. She had a different look on her face than usual; normally she was very forward and casual, and rather cheerful. Now she was still forward, but the casualness was gone and before the tennis club stood a girl full of self-assuredness and a goal on her mind to complete. "Yumi? Shouldn't you be practicing?" Tezuka asked.

"We had the field booked, but the school team held a last minute practice." Yumi replied. Looking around the tennis courts, she asked "Could we use the area around the tennis courts for our practice?"

"It's hardly a field..." Tezuka said a bit ruefully, looking around at the open dirt paths. "But if that's alright, I don't see a problem with it. We just have to ask Ryuzaki-sensei."

"Ok! Let's go talk to her now." Yumi said, smiling.

"You want to practice outside the courts?" Ryuzaki asked in surprise when they approached her with the matter. "Well, I suppose...I'll be sure to have a talk with whoever's in charge of the soccer team about this; they can't just hold a practice when another team has booked the field." She looked back down at Yumi. "Are you the team captain?"

"Actually, Jun is our official captain." Yumi had a small edge of impishness in her smile that Tezuka didn't fail to notice. He'd ask her about it later.

"Well, tell the captain that there's no problem, go ahead." Ryuzaki said.

"Thank you!" Yumi said, bowing a bit. "Wait for me after practice, ok Kunimitsu? I'm off to my team!" She waved and jogged off.

Ryuzaki's eyes widened as she looked at Tezuka. "...What's your relationship?" She asked carefully, trying to feign casualness.

"Nothing less than childhood friends." Tezuka replied. "...How did you know Yumi?" He asked Fuji.

"Oh, she's in my class." Fuji replied with a smile. "Are you going to start practice, Tezuka?"

"Yeah. 20 laps around the courts!!"

As he followed the runners, Fuji's eyes glinted. _"Nothing less than" huh? Interesting._

* * *

Yumi went back to Jun. -Alright, we're set to practice around the tennis courts. It's better than an indoor gym. There're some changes we should make to the practice today, though...-

After some quiet conversing with Jun, the captain finally nodded. -Got it. Alright girls, done your stretches?- At their nods, Jun ordered -Then fifty laps around the tennis courts warm up, no cutting corners, at forty-five laps I'll toss a ball to you girls and you'll have to keep it up while running, no slowing the pace and increase if you must.-

-GO!- Lucy and Lacy shouted, and the twins dropped their balls by their bags and started at their idea of a jog. The rest of the team joined up easily. In no time they had caught up to the tennis Regulars.

"It's Yumi from class!" Eiji noticed, pointing to a girl running at the head of the group with two other girls.

"So I see." Fuji answered, smiling at the girls.

_So Ieris and Cari are also part of the team...I wonder if they're Yumi's friends?_ Tezuka thought, not missing the wink and smile that Yumi sent to him.

"They're passing the Regulars!" The tennis club members who had fallen behind exclaimed.

The tennis club finished their warm ups, while the soccer team kept running. Each time they completed another lap, passing Jun, they shouted out the number. Shortly after the tennis team stopped, they had reached the halfway mark. -25!!- The girls chorused.

-35!- ... -40!- ... -45!-

Jun grabbed a soccer ball and tossed it into the group of girls.

-Got it!- Karen called, heading it.

-Mine!- Alison answered, also keeping it up.

-Heads!- -Gotcha!- -I call it!- -My turn!-

"My god, look at that!" Momoshiro pointed. "It hasn't touched the ground yet!"

"Sugoiiiii!" Eiji said in awe.

"It IS impressive." Fuji said.

-46!-

"What have they been shouting each time?" Oishi asked Ryoma.

"Whenever they finish a lap they yell the number." Ryoma translated for them. "Just now they just called 46. Otherwise they're just yelling out something that means that they're going to get the ball next."

-47!-

Jun was already placing out small different coloured pylon markers down that the team avoided knocking out of place.

-50!-

Standing, Jun turned and held her hands out to have the ball land neatly in them. -Change in practice schedule.- She told the girls. -Half of you go twenty-five feet back and start running up to the pylons. The other half line up at the fence corner there and get ready for a throw-in pass. I'll call a colour and that's where the runner has to kick the ball. Get it through the two pylons of that colour.-

"Wow...just...wow..." Kawamura said quietly. It seemed none of the tennis Regulars were paying much attention to their own practice, too focused on the soccer skills being shown. "That must be very difficult." Oishi remarked. "It takes precise aim and timing to be able to score through those pylons; they're only wide enough for the ball to go through."

"Look, Yumi's going next!" Eiji said excitedly. "I say she's the best!"

"They left the hardest shot for her to make." Inui commented. "The girls don't necessarily run straight; they go for the best direction that lets them score on the proper coloured goal. It's a system of elimination of the pylons. But no matter which angle that girl comes at, it won't be simple. The one net remaining is perpendicular to her."

_How much has her soccer improved?_ Tezuka wondered, watching out of his peripheral vision. _Back when we were younger, she could easily make that shot...but now..._

Yumi ran at the net, but the way it was angled made it so that she was running at it directly from the side. Megan threw her the ball. It soared neatly through the air. Yumi stopped, lifted her left foot, and kicked the ball, hitting it at an odd angle with her cleats. The tennis players thought she completely botched it, but Tezuka knew better. The ball made a straight line down to the ground, landing right in front of the net, and bounced sideways through the pylons.

_...Just what _can't_ Yumi do?_ Tezuka finished in his thoughts. The Yumi he saw now was stronger than she'd ever been before. She led the team expertly through the practice, even though the girl standing to the side with a clipboard should've been captain. Just how much had his childhood friend changed over the years...?

* * *

-Warm down walk around the courts and stretches!- The twins called out for Jun, practice having finished.

-Yumi, over here!- Jun called.

-What's up?- Yumi asked, strolling over while wiping some sweat off her forehead.

-This is the captain of Seigaku's boys' soccer team.- Jun introduced, indicating the boy standing tall to her right. -He's asking us for a quick soccer game.-

-And you think...?- Yumi asked her, raising an eyebrow. -What is our strategist up to?-

-I think it's a good idea.- Jun admitted. -We can look at one example of a high school soccer team in Japan. I know you're angry at them already for taking the field but just consider this a way to vent.-

-...I'll talk to the rest of the team.- Yumi turned and strode to the girls who were doing their stretches. -Alright girls!- She called out over the group. -Who's up for a little girls against boys?!-

The girls perked up and all stood. -You bet!!-

Ryoma looked up from where he was packing up his tennis bag and smirked. "Hm..."

"What is it, O'chibi?" Eiji asked. "What's going on?"

"Girls vs boys." Ryoma indicated the two soccer teams, the girls approaching the boys on the field. "I'm going to stay and watch."

"But you know the guys will win, you saw the practice that the girls just had. They'd be exhausted in a game!" Momoshiro argued.

"Practice dismissed!" Tezuka called out. He noticed the teams facing off and left the courts, heading over.

"Hm, the girls don't look ready to lose at all." Fuji commented with a smile. "Saa...this will be interesting. Should we watch too?"

"I'd like to." Kawamura admitted.

"Good data..." Inui muttered, pulling out what looked to be a fresh notebook.

"Let's go!" Eiji shouted, running off and dragging any Regulars who were reluctant to watch with him.


	6. Chapter 6

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 6**

"First to five goals sound fair?" The captain asked Jun.

At Yumi's subtle nod when she glanced back at her, Jun smiled at the captain. "Excellent." Going back to the team on the bench, Yumi following, they formed a huddle.

-So what's our plan, Jun?- Yumi asked with a grin, resting her foot on her soccer ball and leaning in.

-It's first to five. I figure we'll take it easy. Don't worry about a time limit.- Jun answered. -Their coach is our ref, along with our manager Mrs. White. They're working some things out. But remember!- She said sternly. -Taking it easy doesn't mean getting careless. They've been watching our whole practice, resting themselves for this game. It's unnecessary for them to see our moves.-

-You heard the tactician, girls!- Yumi said cheerfully. -We have the Master Plan, now let's do this!-

The girls positioned themselves on the field, half of them remaining on the benches. The tennis Regulars watched from the top of the grassy hill that dipped down into the flat soccer field. The whistle blew.

At first it seemed even, neither team noticeably winning or gaining a lead. It was through simple passing that the girls scored the first goal, after their goalie had easily saved two shots. A second goal followed lazily afterwards, and a third trailed along. The boys had gotten a few more shots on net, but the goalie was completely ready for them.

"Wow, the girls are actually winning." Momoshiro commented.

"The boys are actually trying now." Fuji noted.

"They got careless." Tezuka said, watching the current play. "Red Hill isn't to be taken lightly; not after Yumi took over."

"She's in our class." Eiji spoke up. "How do you know her, Tezuka?"

"We're childhood friends." He answered. "She moved to America and I haven't seen her for awhile, but we stayed in contact. She told me about her soccer team and friends. Ieris and Cari, the girls in my class, are her closest friends."

"So you knew she was this good at soccer?" Oishi asked.

"I haven't seen her play, actually. Not seriously, at least." Tezuka admitted. "But based on her personality as a child and her developing talent, I know she's not to be taken lightly."

The whistle blew shrilly, interrupting anything else that was going to be said.

-DEANNA!- The girls cried out worriedly.

"Did you see that?!" Kawamura exclaimed.

"Fsh...foul play..." Kaidoh hissed.

Mrs. White, the team manager for Red Hill, hurried over to a girl who wasn't getting up from the ground. A few other girls crowded around as well. The boys stood off to the side. Yumi crouched down by Deanna worriedly. -How is it? That was one nasty trip tackle he gave you!-

-It's fine...ow...- Deanna rubbed her ankle.

-You sprained your ankle, it is NOT fine!- Mrs. White declared sternly. -You, young lady, will be sitting out for a little while.- When Deanna started to protest, Mrs. White said sharply -No buts! If you rest until the tournament comes then you can play. Right Yumi?...Yumi...?-

-Uh oh...- Cari whispered, as everyone sensed a dark looming aura of rage coming from Yumi.

-That stupid kid...- Yumi growled, eyes flashing dangerously. -Just because you're losing, it doesn't mean you have permission to injure someone!- She rounded on the boy who had purposefully caused the accident. "You BASTARD!!" She advanced on the boy, fists clenched. "YOU THINK YOU CAN GET AWAY WITH INJURING ONE OF MY GIRLS? HUH?!"

-You better stop her!- Ryoma called down to the girls.

-We would if we could!- Jun answered worriedly. -None of us know how without a bucket of water or something random like that! We just let her vent it all out!-

Ryoma translated that to the others, who now had even more worried looks. "Oh, I hope she doesn't start a fight..." Oishi fretted. "Someone else will get hurt!"

_And that won't be one of the girls..._ Tezuka thought wryly, jogging down the hill and out into the field. He came up behind Yumi and abruptly covered her eyes from behind with one hand, so she couldn't see the cause of her rage. Then he grabbed her arm with his other hand, to stop her from pulling away from him. "Yumi." He said sternly. "Control yourself!"

Yumi stiffened and stilled before she sighed and took a few deep breaths. "...One..." The girls on her team gazed on in puzzlement. "Two..." The boys on the opposing team gazed on warily. "...Three." Yumi reached up and removed Tezuka's hand from her eyes. "...Alright, I'm fine now." She said calmly.

It was like a miracle to the watching girls; they had never seen Yumi's rage be contained so fast. They started whispering to each other; this Japanese boy definitely had to be the one that Yumi was really close to! Little did Tezuka know he was fast becoming a legend amongst the team.

"Obviously anger management classes didn't help much." Tezuka said wryly.

"Sometimes they do. Other times it just makes me angrier." Yumi replied. She turned back to the team. "Continue the game, we'll sub in a player." She said to the boys' coach, who just came back from giving his guilty player a time out at Mrs. White's insistence. Turning to the girls, Yumi barked out -Forget no time limit! This gets finished in five minutes! All we need are two goals!-

The girls shouted their agreement.

Jun gestured for another girl to go up and replace Deanna, who sat down on the bench and removed her shoe, sock, and shin pad. -Alright then girls, Yumi will finish this up for us. There's no need to show them anything else; we'll deal with them in the tournament.- She told the team, before shooing them back out into the field to clean up the game.

Yumi stood as center forward. She glared at the person facing off against her as the whistle was blown, and he took a step back in surprise. Before he could blink Yumi was dribbling down the field towards the net. She easily dodged the few unprepared defense players and scored.

"What happened, man?" The boys asked their center forward.

"That girl's got this demonic look in her eye that just freaks me out!" The boy answered. "She's pissed, but man, that's the first time a girl's scared me! Don't worry, it won't happen again. I'm ready for her."

The second time the center forward was prepared for the burning red eyes, but he still couldn't stop Yumi from bulleting past him and scoring again. The rest of Yumi's team had jogged up as back up in case Yumi needed it, and occasionally she had needed to pass to them, but they always passed back for Yumi to score. In less than five minutes they had gotten their two goals and the end game whistle was heard.

Yumi ran a hand through her bangs and turned to the captain. "...We'll save our REAL game for the tournament." She fixed the boy sitting on the bench with a stern look (his time out was too long for him to rejoin the game), and then turned away and walked to her team.

-Practice is over for today.- Jun said. -Let's get changed for the bus back to the hotel.-

Yumi hit Tezuka lightly on the arm as she passed the Regulars. "Wait for me? I want to introduce you to my friends." She said with a smile before walking on.

"...So WHO was it who thought she was innocent?" Ryoma smirked.

"S-She never seemed like the type with a temper..." Oishi stuttered, still surprised.

"That's the way she's always been." Tezuka said, although from his tone they couldn't tell if he meant it in a bad or a good way. "It's not that hard to stop her, though."

"Says you." Jun said, coming in on their conversation. "You're the first one we've seen do that." She hoisted a bag over her shoulder and tucked her clipboard under her arm. "You've become a living legend amongst the team, you know. You're just lucky most of the girls can't speak or understand Japanese." She added, before walking off to the bus.

"Well, Tezuka, you're a living legend now." Fuji remarked with a chuckle. "How does that feel?"

Tezuka didn't answer, just turned away to walk to the school gates and wait for Yumi. _As long as it isn't Yumi who's thinking that, I don't really care._ He leaned against the wall to wait. Yumi may be extremely forward and she had her faults, but she was completely herself with him, and he could appreciate that. He glanced at the bike racks to see a bicycle that was undoubtedly Yumi's: the chain was practically made of locks. He moved over there to see if he could figure out which lock it was that undid the 'tangled mess', and see if he still knew her as well as he used to.

* * *

-You scored with that guy, Yumi!- Karen said within the privacy of the girls change rooms. She had a huge grin as she started pulling her socks on. -He's hot!-

-No wonder you don't have a boyfriend back home!- Alison added with a laugh. -What's he like, huh?- She asked excitedly.

-Huh? Who, Kunimitsu?- Yumi asked with a confused frown. At their sighs of exasperation and rolling of eyes, she said with a shrug -As almost anyone who knows him would answer, 'he's Tezuka'.- Now seeing their 'come on' looks, she sighed. -Well, he's really serious and kind of strict, but get past that and he can be really nice. It takes a little while to get him to open up to you, though.-

-Never knew that was your type.- Lucy commented.

-It's our Yumi we're talking about here.- Lacy pointed out.

-My type?- Yumi laughed lightly. -Nah...The only one I've ever fallen for is Kunimitsu. But don't tell him that.- The girls all gave her looks that clearly said 'how can we?', and she decided not to tell them that he spoke English perfectly fine and that the twins spoke Japanese. She dried off from the showers and got dressed in her school uniform. "Ieris, Cari, you ready?" She asked, grabbing her soccer bag.

"Ready!" They answered.

-See you girls at practice in a few days!- Yumi called out, leaving to a chorus of goodbyes.

* * *

Tezuka felt someone hit him on the back, but he knew better than to turn around and look over his shoulder. Looking to his right, he saw Yumi grinning up at him. "Let me guess." He said, pointing to the bike in front of him. "It's the pink one."

"You know me too well!" Yumi accused, picking the pink lock and unchaining her bike. "Oh, right!" She turned so she could see both Ieris and Cari as well as Tezuka. "Meet my two best friends, White Ieris and Yamanako Cari! Girls, this is Tezuka Kunimitsu, the one who gave me my lock necklace!" Yumi stated proudly.

"Hm..." Ieris looked Tezuka up and down speculatively. "...Not what we pictured, is he, Cari?"

Cari nodded quietly.

"Don't mind Cari, she's shy but she'll get used to you. And Ieris is always like this." Yumi said with a laugh. "Ieris, do you mind riding home with Cari? I really need to catch up with Kunimitsu."

"It's getting late, though." Tezuka pointed out. "How about tomorrow, after school? We don't have tennis practice then."

"Sounds good; that's our day off from practice too." Yumi flipped out a pen and jotted her aunt and uncle's address and phone number down on Tezuka's hand before he could pull it away. "That's where we're staying; they're my aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Minamoto."

"Tezuka!"

Tezuka looked up to see his team come up, and quickly put his hand in his pocket. "Yumi, this is my tennis team." He said stiffly. "Everyone, this is Tsukiyama Yumi, and her two friends White Ieris and Yamanako Cari."

"We've met already." Fuji said with a smile.

"I didn't expect you to be into soccer, Cari!" Eiji said happily.

Cari just blushed and looked down. Yumi rolled her eyes and playfully hit Tezuka's arm. "Well? We don't know them, introduce us!"

"This is Fuji Syuusuke-" "A pleasure."

"Kikumaru Eiji-" "Hoi hoi!"

"Kawamura Takashi-" "Nice to meet you..."

"Inui Sadaharu-" "Three of them...good data..."

"Oishi Syuichirou-" "Hello."

"Kaidoh Kaoru-" "Fsh..."

"Echizen Ryoma-" "Hey."

"And Momoshiro Takeshi." "Momochan is fine, senpais!"

"Momochan? Whatever makes you happy I guess..." Yumi muttered. _I think someone needs a better naming sense. _"Nice to meet you all!" She greeted cheerfully.

"Whatever." Ieris said indifferently.

"N-Nice t-to meet you..." Cari stuttered, bowing slightly.

"Kawaiii!" Eiji declared, looking ready to glomp Cari on the spot.

A phone ringing interrupted the moment, much to Cari's relief. Yumi flipped out her phone. "Hello?...Yeah...uh huh...yeah, ten minutes tops. Later." She looked up. "Well, that's our cue to go home, girls!" She got on her bike and balanced easily when Ieris hopped on the front and Cari on the back. "See you tomorrow at school, Kunimitsu! Later boys!"

Once the girls had turned the corner, Fuji turned to Tezuka. "So what is it she wrote on your hand?" He asked mischievously.

"Nothing." Tezuka replied immediately.

Eiji and Momoshiro grabbed his hand out of his pocket and looked at it quickly before Tezuka pulled it back and clenched his fist so they couldn't see his palm anymore. "Her address and number!" They declared loudly.

"It's her aunt and uncle's house actually." Tezuka said stiffly. He turned and started walking off down the street before they could start teasing him and questioning him.

"Same difference!" Eiji and Momoshiro said once he was out of hearing distance.

"Those three girls weren't what I expected." Oishi remarked to the others.

"Wasn't Cari cute?" Eiji asked, smiling.

"Ieris-senpai was beautiful, but she acts more like our Echizen here." Momoshiro commented, trapping Ryoma in a headlock.

"Itai..." Ryoma muttered, rubbing his neck once Momoshiro released him.

"Yumi's turned out to be quite a unique individual." Fuji smiled. _It's a little strange. One minute she calls us all idiots, and the next she's cheerful and friendly to us. Does she like us or hate us?_

"I wonder what'll happen between her and Tezuka while she's here...?" Kawamura mused.

"Saa..." Fuji answered.


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 7**

Yumi glanced up at the clock impatiently, between reading paragraphs of the English book they were given in class. It was a simple book, all said and done, so she wasn't overly concerned about reading it with the same intensity as everyone else in class.

"Going somewhere after school?" Fuji whispered from behind her, a few students able to hear but not the teacher up at the front.

Taking out a small slip of paper, Yumi used the inside of her desk as a cover to jot down her answer quickly on a piece of paper. She discreetly slipped that back to Fuji.

_**Got a date.**_ Fuji read. So that was why Tezuka had refused going out for sushi with the team. He felt it safe to assume it was with Tezuka; Yumi interacted with other students, both male and female, and was growing popular with both. But it was highly unlikely she was dating anyone new to her, if what she said as her introduction to the class (the English part) was a clue at all.

The bell rang. Yumi grinned and immediately packed up, leaving out the door. Fuji and Eiji followed after throwing the slip of paper in the recycling bin. They turned down separate ways in the hallway, Yumi to leave school and Fuji and Eiji to spread the news about Tezuka's date to the other Regulars.

Little did they know that a few girls picked out the slip of paper from the recycling bin. They had heard Fuji ask if Yumi had plans, and were curious. When they read 'got a date', they immediately decided to see with whom. Maybe this boyfriend would keep Yumi away from their Tezuka!

Yumi made her way to her bike that was locked up, and unchained it for Ieris and Cari, who she had met in the hallway. "Alright, see you later! Tomorrow it'll be an outing for just us girls, promise!"

"Oh, don't worry about us." Cari said, smiling. "Go have fun."

"But you have a date with us tomorrow, don't you forget it." Ieris added, before climbing onto the bike. Cari stood in the back as usual and Ieris pedalled off.

"Ready to go?"

Yumi turned to smile at Tezuka. "Yup. Can we go to your house first, so I can change there? I have a set of clothes in my bag. And I haven't seen your grandparents in ages!"

"Of course. They've also wanted to see you again." Tezuka replied, taking the lead. "So how have things been?" He asked. Contrary to popular belief, he was both able and willing to strike up a conversation (when it was with the right person).

"Good, I guess." Yumi shrugged. "I've still managed to keep my marks up, at least, with all this travel going on. Some of the team's actually planning on coming with us to go pro. Like Ieris and Cari, and Jun if she can find a way to come, and the twins."

"You all are going professional? It's a high goal; good luck." Tezuka said. Then he brought up a topic that had been bothering him a bit. "You said Jun was the official captain, but I thought you were captain. It seemed that way, how you take charge of the situation and how the girls all respect you."

"Eh, has to do with how the team got started..." Yumi said, remembering back to when she first joined Red Hill. Seeing that Tezuka wanted an explanation, she said briefly "Jun is really interested in strategies, it doesn't matter for what. I saw her using her strategies for some board games at school once. And if the sports teams paid her, she'd come up with a strategy for them."

"She can apply strategy to anything, then? That's an impressive skill." Tezuka commented.

"Yeah, but there aren't any classes or teachers that really acknowledge it and let her apply her skills." Yumi said, frowning. "It was totally going to waste; so I basically asked her to join the soccer team." She laughed a bit. "Only she doesn't play soccer, so there was a small problem."

"That's why she's the official coach." Tezuka finished, realizing what the girls did. "She can easily give you strategies then, and you give her practice schedules and plans."

"Exactly. Oh, look at that, we're here already!" She pointed to Tezuka's house. "I can tell it's yours from your grandmother's gardens." Yumi said in answer to his unspoken question.

"Yumi, oh how long it's been!" Tezuka's grandmother said, hugging Yumi immediately upon her entering the kitchen. "My how you've grown! Such a lovely young lady!"

Yumi laughed. "Thanks. Mm, is that banana bread I smell? I missed your baking!"

"Oh dear, my husband just ate the last piece!" She said distraughtly. "Come by tomorrow and I'll have a cake freshly baked!" She promised.

"How has the family been, Yumi?" Tezuka's grandfather asked, also giving her a hug. "Your mother and father must be worried about you traveling so far!"

"Eh, they're ok with it. I send back souvenirs for them, and besides, they know I'll do anything for soccer!" Yumi smiled brightly.

"Even control that temper of yours?"

"Eheh..." Yumi laughed sheepishly. "I still need Kunimitsu's help with that..."

"Everyone has their faults." His grandfather said understandingly. "You came to change out of your uniform, am I right? Kunimitsu, go on and show her where the washroom is. I'm sure you two still want to hang out in town, so get going!"

"Yeah. This way, Yumi." Tezuka led the way out of the kitchen and down the hall, stopping at a door. "Here's the bathroom; I'm also going to change in my room, so I'll meet you out here."

Five minutes later they were making their way out the front door. Yumi was dressed in jeans and a light purple spaghetti strap shirt with a white sweater, while Tezuka had simply dressed in dark blue jeans with a black T-shirt, a brown jacket thrown over his shoulders. "So how did the team start?" Tezuka asked as they walked down the street.

"Well, I'm the one who started the team, basically. Back then the soccer team didn't even have a full team; with me joining they'd have to compete in school tournaments, so most of the girls quit. I put up lots of ads for anyone who loved soccer." Yumi was walking, talking, and looking all at once, taking in how much the neighbourhood had changed. She had even recognized her old house, before she moved away. "I started the practice schedules lighter and then worked the girls harder once I knew who was willing to stay. In the end the girls who stayed made enough for a team with a full bench, and so we were set. Oh hey, let's get some ice cream!"

They not only got ice cream, but hit various stores that Yumi recognized. "I remember that's where I got my watermelon lock." Yumi pointed out. "And you got me some dial locks."

"Yeah. A little further from here there used to be a forest area." Seeing Yumi nod to indicate she remembered the place, Tezuka continued. "They put in some street tennis courts."

"Street tennis, huh? Ever go?" Yumi asked curiously.

"Not really."

"Hey look, an arcade! Ever go there?" Yumi asked, pointing across the street.

"No." Tezuka answered.

"Want to make this the first time, then?" Yumi raised an eyebrow and smiled inquisitively.

"If you want to go in, then let's cross the street now while no cars are coming." Tezuka said, stepping off the sidewalk. Before he neared the other side of the street he could hear the loudness inside the arcade; it carried out of the door as someone left.

"Hey, DDR! Japanese version was always better than the US version." Yumi indicated the flashing system in the far end of the arcade. "There's quite a crowd there. Wonder why?" She mused.

"It doesn't look like a line; I think they're watching the person currently playing." Tezuka said, following her over.

"... ...Anyone else gonna challenge me?!" The boy on stage called out. "Come on, it doesn't matter what level we play on!"

Since no one was stepping up, Yumi pushed through the crowd. Stepping up on the platform, the boy turned to her with a smirk. "Alright! I knew there was someone left. Go on and place your money in, I've still got some credits going."

Yumi inserted some coins from her jean pocket and then looked back down to Tezuka, who had moved to the front. "Hold my sweater and bag for me, please?" She asked him. He nodded, so she shrugged both off and dropped them down to him.

"What level do you play at?" Her opponent asked, busy choosing the song. "I make it a habit to play on whatever level my opponent is."

Yumi smirked. "Challenger. Think you can handle it?"

"I'm the speed demon, of course I can!" He retorted. The levels were set and the dance began. As the first and only wall of arrows came streaming up, his feet moved incredibly fast to start a round of combos.

Tezuka looked to Yumi to see the same thing with her, and was amazed they didn't trip or anything. The song ended after a few minutes and everyone eagerly awaited the scores. A popped up on both screens, and looking at the points on the bottom of the screen, neither of them really won; Yumi had only a thousand more points.

"Wow, I've never had anyone match me before!" The boy commented, impressed.

"Really? I've been beaten before." Yumi remarked. "Cari, a friend of mine, gets AA. She owns at DDR; I swear she's a demon at it." She turned to step of the platform.

"Wait! I'm Kamio. What's your name?" The boy asked, holding out a hand.

Yumi looked back and grasped his hand in a cross between a shake and a high five. "Tsukiyama Yumi. Let's do this again sometime." She smiled and turned back to the crowd. "Alright Kunimitsu, I've had my fun!" Her back turned to Kamio, she didn't see his eyes widen as he saw who she was taking her stuff back from.

Leaving the arcade, Yumi stretched her arms over her head. "Well, we've gone to where I want to go, now how about you? Any place in particular you feel like going to?" She asked.

"I enjoy the park." Tezuka replied.

"Lead the way!" Yumi smiled. "Let me guess, you read there, right?"

"Yeah."

"The newspaper or a history book, right?"

"Yeah."

Yumi laughed. "Your tastes haven't changed at all!" Tezuka shot her a small glare, but it softened immediately when he heard her add quietly "I'm relieved." Her smile became a little smaller when she continued "I was scared that I wouldn't know you anymore. We've only been able to email each other, and make the occasional phone call..."

Tezuka placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "We know each other too well for time to make much of an impact."

"I guess so. But you know, you haven't seen me play any soccer games with my girls!" Yumi realized. "Are you free this weekend?"

"Is that when the tournament is?" Tezuka asked.

"Yeah." Yumi smirked at something she knew that Tezuka didn't.

"So does that mean you're leaving after this weekend?" Tezuka asked, slightly disappointed. It didn't feel like he'd spent enough time with her at all.

"Oh no, I'm here for another two weeks." Yumi said, laughing lightly. "No worries, we've got plenty of time!"

"Two weeks? Is there another tournament?" Tezuka asked, confused. "That's very close together."

"The boys' division is first, and a week after is the girl's." Yumi grinned. Spying a bench, she sat down.

"You're playing in both?" Tezuka asked, surprised.

"You bet we are!" Yumi said, leaning back. She pursed her lips a bit and looked around.

"There's a vending machine nearby. I'll get us some drinks." Tezuka said immediately, standing.

Yumi leaned back with a small content smile. _He can still read me so well. Things really haven't changed between us as much as I thought they would._ Gazing around, her eye caught some movement and colour in the bushes that wasn't natural. _It wouldn't be Ieris and Cari..._ She thought. Unfortunately there wasn't a rock nearby. She even double checked. Just as she was wondering if an acorn would be worth the trouble to get up, pick up, and throw, Tezuka came back. She caught the can he tossed her neatly and opened it, taking a long drink. "Ahh...grape." She smiled.

"I know it's always been your favourite flavour, so I thought that would be what you'd like best." Tezuka said, his own drink being simple water.

Leaning back with her drink, Yumi let the peace of the park wash over her. It was true that she talked freely, and Tezuka wasn't normally one for long conversations with someone. He also wasn't one for being with the same talking person all day. However, just like he had his talkative, open moments, Yumi had her reserved, silent moments. It was never awkward for them if neither person talked; instead, they relaxed.

"...Well, it's getting late. We should probably head back to our homes now." Yumi said finally, getting up.

"Yeah. I'll walk you home." Tezuka said, also standing. They made their way out of the park, Yumi also looking for a trash can to throw their drinks out.

... ... ...

"It doesn't look like they've noticed that they've being followed all day." Oishi commented in relief.

"Because we're being extra careful!" Eiji explained. "We don't want extra laps tomorrow!"

"So how'd you know about this date?" Momoshiro asked Fuji. "You never said."

"She told me she had one after school, so I figured it was with Tezuka since he didn't go for some sushi with us." Fuji explained.

"I didn't know Tezuka was so talkative." Kawamura said.

Inui kept scribbling in his notebook and muttering to himself. "... ...probability of it being due to Yumi includes...childhood factors...similar tastes...personality differences... ..."

"They stopped." Ryoma informed them, causing the team to hide behind some bushes in the park.

"And by the way, Kunimitsu..." They heard Yumi say quietly. They leaned forward, straining to hear her. An empty can fell out of the sky to hit Momoshiro on the head. Eiji and Kaidoh's hands on his mouth muffled his exclamation, but it was still audible. "I still say they're a bunch of idiots." They heard Yumi finish clearly.

"20 extra laps around the courts tomorrow!"

Well, they almost got away with it.


	8. Chapter 8

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 8**

"Alright, let's do this thing!" Yumi rested her bag over her shoulder as she walked out of school with Ieris and Cari. She hadn't ridden her bike there because they were planning on having fun in town. "Later Kunimitsu! I'll call you tonight!" She called back over her shoulder.

Tezuka, not feeling like shouting a reply to the girl walking off in the distance, simply nodded.

"Ehhh...she's really, really friendly with Tezuka, isn't she?" Eiji said to the other Regulars in amazement as they watched the exchange from a short distance away. "I don't think any girl except for her knows his number!"

"They probably know his home phone number from the phone book." Oishi pointed out. "But I doubt they have the confidence that Yumi does to actually phone. His non-talkative nature makes phone conversations a little awkward."

"I'm talking about his _cell phone_ number!" Eiji clarified. "We only know it because Inui managed to get it from Ryuzaki-sensei. He said he only got it for emergencies because it would be annoying if people always called him, so aside from us he'd never give his number away."

"Hey, do you think they're...you know...official?" Momoshiro asked. "Like definitely girlfriend and boyfriend?"

"Well, I heard they're going out for dinner tonight..." Inui spoke up.

"What?!"

Oblivious to the gossiping conversations going on behind their backs, Yumi proceeded to wander around town with Ieris and Cari. They had seen a park which Cari had wanted to walk through, and went through just to see where they wound up, because it was a nice looking, quiet place. And they found themselves overlooking some tennis courts.

"Is this a street tennis place?" Ieris asked dully. "Let's turn around and head back; it looks like everyone's leaving."

"Hey, Yumi!!"

"Someone you know?" Cari asked, as one of the boys who was in a large group that was packing up to go called out to the girls and waved at them.

"Met him at the arcade. He'd give you a run for your money." Yumi said, grinning. Waving back, she shouted "What's up, Kamio? Done practicing?"

"Yeah! C'mon over so we can talk!"

The trio strolled down to speak with Kamio and his friends. The speed demon grinned and said "This is my tennis team. Guys, this is Yumi, the one who I told you can match me at DDR." Introductions quickly followed for both groups.

"So Cari, I say you and Kamio have a showdown." Yumi suggested.

"U-Um...well..." Cari looked down shyly, fiddling with the hem of her skirt.

"Good idea, the arcade's just down the street." Kamio said.

"We'll come watch!" Ann said. Tachibana nodded in both agreement and permission.

And so it was that a huge group, most from Fudoumine and three from Seigaku, strolled down the street together to enter the arcade. Cari and Yumi went to DDR with Kamio and the others all went to watch, minus Shinji. "I'm going over there." Shinji murmured, pointing and walking off.

"What's he going to play?" Yumi asked Ann.

"Shinji always plays some shooter game." Ann said, waving a hand in dismissal. "He's never been beaten though. And he says he's never found a good partner at it."

"Same here. Let's see just how good that guy is..." Ieris strolled over to where Shinji was.

"You ready?" Kamio asked Cari. _Can a girl that shy really do this?_ He wondered.

He wasn't the only one extremely surprised when Cari smirked at him. She _smirked_, and said challengingly "Let's see just how fast _your_ speed demon is."

"W-What, are you saying you're a speed demon too?" Kamio frowned when all he got in reply was a confident gleam in hard brown eyes.

The song started, and talking had to wait.

Ieris came back just as the final scores popped up on the screen. Cari won with AA. Turning to Kamio, Cari smirked and held out a hand. "You ARE fast." She complimented him.

"Th-Thanks..." Kamio shook her hand and they both stepped down. Immediately Cari's eyes softened and she noticed everyone staring at her. With a small 'eep' she hid behind Ieris, who glared at the others trying to stare through her to Cari. "Ok, what just happened to you?" Kamio asked Cari, incredibly confused.

"It's perfectly normal." Yumi said cheerfully. "All the girls on my team basically have another side that they show in a competition. I can get pretty bad myself."

"Pretty? You're the worst out of all of us..." Ieris muttered. Yumi just laughed sheepishly, not denying a thing. The tennis players couldn't help but wonder just what was meant by that.

"So how did the shooting game go?" Ann asked Shinji. "Did you team up on it or face each other?"

"We teamed up..." Shinji started murmuring, "...it was amazing...she really is as good as me...that's never happened before...we never went for the same target..."

The others turned to Ieris, hoping for a better explanation. She smirked. "Let's just say that no one's going to be beating the high score anytime soon."

"Ahh." They said knowingly.

"Hey, we'd better get anything else we want to do done." Yumi said suddenly, looking at her watch. "We've got to go out to dinner, remember."

"Do you girls play tennis?" Ann asked hopefully.

"No." Ieris and Cari replied. They looked to Yumi who hadn't spoken, and saw her shrug. "I tried it out for a bit." Yumi admitted. "But then again, I've probably tried every sport possible."

"So what do you play?" Ann asked curiously.

The three girls smiled, full smiles, as they answered proudly "Soccer!"

"Are you here for the tournament, then?" Tachibana asked. "What's the name of your school?"

"Red Hill." Yumi answered.

"We'll come cheer you on!" Ann declared.

"We'll be looking forward to it! See you later!" Yumi waved and walked off with Ieris and Cari.

"It was really nice of Tezuka's family to invite us all for dinner with them tonight." Cari said, smiling. "They only know about us from what they've heard through you, Yumi."

"That's ok, they'll know you girls too, soon." Yumi assured the two. "But Ieris, no picking on Kunimitsu and making him all embarrassed!" She warned. "He'd definitely want to leave as soon as it's polite for him to do so and avoid you!"

"Hn...I won't..." Ieris replied defensively. "I wouldn't do that to you. Avoiding me means he'll be avoiding you half the time, since we always hang out." She explained. _Yumi means so much to me; if any of the girls at school cause her trouble over just a __**guy**__, they'll definitely regret it._ She thought darkly.

Cari smiled ruefully as she knew exactly what Ieris was thinking. Beneath that angelic appearance, Ieris could turn into a devil if provoked and pushed too far. _The problem is, I just __**know**__ that Yumi's going to have problems at school...It's hard to miss the glares that some girls give her..._ She thought worriedly.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 9**

_riiiiiiiing ... briiiiiing_

_..._

"Yumi, the phone's for you!" Mrs. Minamoto called.

"Thanks!" Yumi picked up the receiver from upstairs. "...Hello?"

Yumi, this is Kunimitsu's grandmother.

"Good morning!" Yumi greeted cheerfully. "How are you?"

I'm fine, but Kunimitsu has caught himself a small cold.

"I told him to go to bed early last night!" Yumi said in exasperation. "You'd think he'd listen to me; I know whenever he's starting to get sick!"

His grandmother chuckled. I'm having him stay home today to rest; I think that's all he'll need, just a bit more sleep and some warm soup. Could you get his tennis bag and homework for him?

"No problem." Yumi said. "I'll come over sometime after school." She promised.

Thank you, dear.

Hanging up, Yumi grabbed her bag and joined Ieris and Cari in the kitchen for breakfast. "Hey girls, can you grab Kunimitsu's work for him? I was just asked to drop it off at his house." She said.

"Sure." Cari replied. "Is he sick? He didn't eat much at dinner last night..."

"Yeah, it isn't really bad; he's just resting so it won't get worse." Yumi answered. Quickly finishing her breakfast, she stood. "We're off to school!" She called out to her aunt and uncle, before they sped off down the road on her bike.

As they strode through the halls, Yumi glanced around. "Hey girls, I think I just got a few glares." She said to Ieris and Cari. They didn't answer, but she knew she was right when she saw Ieris glare right back at someone. "Wonder what I did..." She mused.

"I don't know..." Cari said worriedly. _There are a lot more girls glaring than usual...and boys are doing it, too._

Eiji popped up from behind them. "Nya Cari, what's with the long look?" He asked. "Something wrong?" Fuji was a little ways behind Eiji, a cheerful smile on his face to greet the girls with.

"Um...well..." Cari blushed and looked down before murmuring something in an extremely quiet voice.

Eiji's voice, however, was hardly quiet. "What?! People are angry at Yumi?!"

"Eiji, not so loud." Fuji berated his friend. Then he turned his gaze to Yumi. "Do you have any idea why?" He asked.

Yumi just shrugged. "No idea. I kind of got on the wrong side of three girls in class, but that was about it I thought."

"Perhaps they found the note you gave me in class." Fuji suggested. "And I'm sure people saw you leave with Tezuka. We did."

"Wait, so you're saying girls are mad at me for going on a date with Tezuka?" Yumi asked, raising an eyebrow and planting her hands on her hips.

"It's possible." Fuji answered calmly, expression guarded. _She seems to be a strong girl, but has she faced this kind of thing before?_

Yumi made a very uncaring noise in the back of her throat. "Whatever; it doesn't bother me what those girls do. As long as I know the reason why, I know it's no big deal. They'll get over it eventually." She turned and went into her classroom.

Fuji sighed a bit. "I wonder if she really knows what she's getting herself into..." He said quietly. "Although I think something more is going on than just those three girls finding that note, seeing the looks the boys are giving her as well." He looked thoughtful when he added "I think someone's spreading a bad rumour about her. If so, things could get carried away really quickly."

"My thoughts exactly." Ieris said. "Fuji, can you look after her?"

Fuji set his sights on the blond haired girl and didn't respond for a moment. Frankly, her asking him directly had surprised him; they didn't really know much about each other aside from what they learned at a distance and from introductions. But nevertheless, he still nodded. "We were planning to, right Eiji?"

"Of course nya! Tezuka's friends look after his other friends!" Eiji declared valiantly. "Don't worry about a thing, ok Cari?" He entered the classroom along with Fuji after waving goodbye to the girls.

"...They're nice guys." Ieris commented. "I wonder if they realize that Yumi actually doesn't hate the team." Turning away, she started going to hers and Cari's class.

Cari followed hastily, choosing to keep her thoughts to herself. _Wow, Ieris actually likes them...enough to ask them to look after Yumi!_ She thought incredulously. For the indifferent blond haired girl, that wasn't just unusual; it was the first time it had ever happened. She was incredibly protective of Yumi and herself. _And Yumi has something new to deal with; as if she isn't busy enough..._ Cari sighed inaudibly.

This day was looking like it was going to be quite unusual.

* * *

"I think we got all his work..." Cari said, passing the papers to Yumi.

"Thanks a bunch." Yumi replied, stuffing them into her school bag and hoisting Tezuka's tennis bag over her shoulder. After carrying her even heavier soccer bag around all the time, the weight hardly bothered her. "Are you two going straight home?"

"Cari is, I'm not." Ieris answered. "I've got to talk to some people before I leave. I'll be back soon though. You go take that to Tezuka."

Knowing that something was going on but not too worried since the blond could handle herself, Yumi nodded and left for Tezuka's house, and Cari went in the opposite direction to her aunt and uncle's. Ieris went in a different direction than either of them and went back into the school, where students were still taking their time leaving for the day.

Deciding not to take the shortcut through the forest, Yumi took the common streets to Tezuka's home in an extremely round-about route. She passed by a large school, and glanced at the sign in the front. _What do you know; Hyoutei's in walking distance to Seigaku._ She thought, although that wasn't entirely true. She had taken a very indirect route to the Tezuka household, and was going at a jogging pace.

Just as she was almost around the corner, she heard a shout, and a few figures came running up to her. She tried to place their names from her soccer team's few practices at Hyoutei. "Um...Gakuto, Oshitari, Shishido and..." She trailed off at the last silver haired boy, having never heard his name.

"Choutarou." He supplied with a warm smile.

"Right, hi. Nice to meet you." Yumi couldn't help but add something polite to the end of her first dull sentence, there was just something about Choutarou that was too sweet to be rude or mean to. Not that she thought she was being rude, just blunt and unenthused; she didn't exactly know the Hyoutei tennis team, and didn't see why they ran to catch up to her.

"Mind if we walk with you, since we're headed in the same direction?" Oshitari asked smoothly.

"No, not really." Yumi replied. She honestly didn't have any personal qualms with the boys, so whatever floated their boat...Forgive and forget, live and learn, all those wonderfully uncaring sayings. _And I want to find out just why they caught up to me._

"I didn't know you played tennis too." Shishido commented, seeing her tennis bag. "I thought that you just played soccer."

"I used to play." Yumi answered as she continued walking. "I tried out a lot of sports as a kid, to see what I was into. Tennis was one of the top choices, but I ultimately chose soccer. Hard to do two at once."

They all agreed and fell silent, not sure what to say next. In truth, Choutarou had spotted her walking down the street and recognized her as the girl that had gotten Atobe all annoyed. The four of them had decided to find out what they could about her, out of curiosity's sake. Plus Oshitari had heard something interesting at Fudoumine...

"By the way, I don't think I ever told you guys my name. I'm Tsukiyama Yumi."

"That's a pretty name." Choutarou said, the first to speak out of the four surprised tennis players. They hadn't expected getting her to open up would be so...effortless. "I think it suits you."

"Well thank you." Yumi laughed lightly. "So do you guys really live way out here in this direction?"

"Why do you ask?" Shishido asked.

"Well, we're coming up to another school, so it's easier to go there instead of Hyoutei, isn't it?" Yumi asked, pointing up ahead. _Hm...I haven't played soccer there yet, but it's now pretty obvious that these guys want something._ She gave them all a suspicious look.

"Um, well..." Gakuto trailed off, not sure of what to say. "We weren't going straight home, we're going to a friend of Yuushi's!" Oshitari nodded confirmation, quickly catching onto the excuse and going with it.

"Hm..." Yumi folded her arms and stared at them. Vaguely she heard the sound of tennis in the background. "Look, if you want something, just tell me." She said with a sigh. "One thing I hate is followers trying to mooch off me."

"We just wanted to find out more about you." Gakuto said honestly, hoping it wasn't too much to ask.

"My name will give you more than enough information if you look me up on your own." Yumi turned and started walking away when Shishido grabbed her arm to stop her. Just as he was about to speak, another voice beat him to it.

"What's this? Four members of Hyoutei and one girl from Seigaku? I really hope you guys aren't trying to take advantage of the poor thing."

Yumi looked towards the school to see a boy there who had been practicing had come up. He had silver hair and green eyes, and a cocky grin on his face. His racket was resting carelessly over his shoulder.

"W-What!" Shishido stammered. "I wasn't...I mean we weren't...!"

Yumi pulled her arm out of his grasp. "That's probably what it looked like, Shishido, give it a rest. And even if that was the case, I can take care of myself." She said, fixing the new boy with a stern stare.

"Sure you could've, cutie." He said easily.

Her eyebrow twitched. "You did NOT just call me that..." She muttered, her stare turning into a glare.

"Ooh, someone has a temper." He laughed.

"Sorry to interrupt your practice, Niou." Oshitari cut in, "We'll be on our way now."

"Not so fast!" Niou said. "Since you're here and all, how about some practice matches?"

"That sounds wonderful."

Looking back at who spoke, Niou said with a grin "Yukimura-buchou!"

"How about it?" The blue haired boy asked, smiling calmly.

While a match was tempting, the boys from Hyoutei weren't sure it was worth the risk of playing without their whole team present, and hesitated in their reply. Yumi, however, looked up at Rikkaidai's captain and said "_Yukimura-buchou_, huh? A friend of mine speaks highly of you."

"Really?" Yukimura smiled warmly down at her. "Is this friend a tennis player like you, Miss?"

_He's like Fuji._ Yumi thought. _Only...I get a stronger feeling of danger from him._ "Yeah, actually. Hm..." She watched some of the members of the tennis club running laps. "Gosh they're slow...how many laps have you had them running?" She asked thoughtfully, watching the runners and easily spotting the signs of fatigue.

"They were some members who misbehaved during the practice, so they earned about thirty laps." Yukimura replied cheerfully.

"What? They shouldn't be that tired from a little jog like that." Yumi frowned a bit at the boys who were ready to collapse. "You must work them hard at practice; good for you."

Yukimura laughed lightly. "I like you. What's your name?"

"Tsukiyama Yumi. No hitting on me or else I kick you." She said with a smile. "I have enough guys doing that in school, I don't need it outside."

"Understandably." Yukimura said, although she wasn't sure if he meant that he understood why guys hit on her (and so was subtly hitting on her) or that he knew why she wouldn't want more people flirting with her; he was a smoother talker than Oshitari. "So? Are we going to have some friendly matches?" He asked everyone. "I see you have your tennis bag, so you're welcome to join in too, Yumi." He added.

Niou gave a small snort.

Yumi's soft rose red eyes immediately snapped to him. "Did you say something, Niou?"

"No, nothing at all." He replied immediately. "But I don't think a girl should take on our Regulars...oh well, we'll go easy on you or something. So by all means, join in!" Niou said airily, not really realizing what his non-thought out words would do. Yukimura sent him a warning glance, and it was then that he noticed he was receiving a very chilling look.

"U-Um, Yumi, I'm sure he didn't mean that..." Choutarou tried in vain to pacify the soccer player.

"Alright boys, you're on." Yumi declared. "I'm in for some friendly tennis. What about you guys?" She looked back at Hyoutei.

"We'll see; I'd like to watch your match first." Oshitari said for them all.

"Then let's go down to the courts." Yukimura said with a smile.

Yumi followed him down and started stretching; she was warmed up from jogging the long way to Tezuka's. Speaking of which... "Give me a minute to make a call! This bag actually belongs to a friend of mine, I'm going to see if I can borrow a racket." She told the others, who nodded as they watched her. She pulled out her cell phone and punched in the speed dial.

It rang for a few moments before she heard Tezuka answer. Hello?

"Well, you're sounding fine." Yumi commented.

Yes, Yumi. I've been resting all day, I'll be at school tomorrow. Tezuka said. What did you call for?

"I was supposed to bring you your homework and tennis bag, but do you mind waiting a bit? Some boys want to play a bit of tennis." Yumi said, adjusting the hold on her schoolbag slightly as she spoke. She held it in one hand against Tezuka's tennis bag, unaware that it covered the name of its actual owner.

You'll be needing a racket, though. Tezuka said knowingly. Look in my bag, there should be a spare racket you can use...He waited until he heard the zipper being undone as Yumi set in on the ground, leaning her own schoolbag against it, and continued. Under my rackets, you'll find a black racket with a flame on the bottom of the handle and-

"And silver grip tape." Yumi said with a smile, holding up said racket. "I can't believe you kept my racket when I gave you all my tennis equipment before I moved away."

It's important. Tezuka replied as if it was obvious.

Yumi laughed. "Yeah, it is. I appreciate this, looks like you've been taking care of it for me and everything. Hold on a minute." She looked at the boys watching and listening to her conversation curiously. "Do any of you guys have a spare hair tie I can use?"

They gave her weird looks. "Why would guys carry a spare hair tie?" A boy with messy black hair asked, looking like he was one of the Regulars of Rikkaidai who had joined his captain in watching and waiting for her.

Yumi, look in the small pocket at the side of the bag...

She did to find a black hair tie. "Wow, I'm surprised. You even got some hair ties! Don't tell me you've done this for the past five years?" When Tezuka didn't answer, she knew she was right. "You're sweet. Stop it, I know you're giving me a look for saying that. Anyways, I'll call you when I finish so you know when I'm heading over. Later."

Standing, Yumi tied her hair back and did a few experimental flips of the racket in her hand. She hadn't held one in a long time, but it still somehow felt familiar. Glad she wore running shoes, she strode up to the waiting boys. "Alright then. Niou, since you mocked me, I'll let you choose the person I play a Singles match against." She declared.

Niou looked surprise. "That's crazy!" Gakuto hissed. "You don't even know what they can do!"

"Oh, one thing Niou." Yumi added. "You can't pick Yukimura."

"Why not?" Niou asked. "Scared?" He taunted.

"Scared?" Yumi repeated, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing. Niou smirked when he thought she was going to take her condition back, thinking his taunt had worked. "Hell no." Yumi continued, unaware of his inner thoughts. "I'm not scared and I'm not an idiot. There's no way I'm in top condition for tennis, and this guy," she jerked a thumb at Yukimura, "he's pretty but I can tell he's a monster on the court. Facing him, as the captain, first thing is just plain stupid."

"...You just called Yukimura-buchou pretty." Marui said, his bubblegum popping in surprise that a person, even a girl, had enough guts to say that so nonchalantly to Yukimura's face. "And you called him a monster in the same sentence." Now that took guts.

"Diplomacy isn't my strong suit; I leave that to people like Fuji." Yumi said, waving her hand flippantly. "I'm just telling the truth; you don't like it, then I'm not the one to listen to. I don't mince words."

"It's alright Marui, I'm not offended at all. I thought it was a compliment." Yukimura said with a smile.

"Ok then, since Yukimura's out..." Niou said, eyes gaining a glint to them. "Then I guess...well, you can face Sanada here."

The Rikkaidai members and Hyoutei looked at him, instantly knowing what he was planning. He hadn't added fukubuchou to Sanada's name, so that Yumi wouldn't know he had chosen the next best thing and was having her face the vice-captain. "Works for me." Yumi said, offering a hand to the guy she now knew to be Sanada. "If you're willing to have a match with me, that is." She added, noticing he was less than pleased with the whole thing.

"It's fine. Let's have a good match." Sanada said, shaking her hand and moving to the tennis court. Yumi followed.

Having seen Rikkaidai's power in the National Championships, the members of Hyoutei gazed worriedly after Yumi. They didn't know her too well yet, but she was a friendly and fair girl from what they could tell. And nobody deserved to be shot down as much as Niou's choice was going to do.

"You can serve first." Sanada said. "We'll play a one set match."

"Sounds good."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 10**

Yumi bounced the tennis ball a bit, getting a new feel for its weight. It was definitely different than a soccer ball, after all. "Let's see what I've got left in me..." She muttered, tossing it up high. She served normally.

"That's pretty fast." Shishido commented. "I wasn't expecting that."

Sanada, while not expecting it either, was good at recovering and returning the serve. He added his usual power to it (which had increased considerably due to training) and increased its speed. Everyone almost fully expected it to overwhelm the slim girl before him.

_It's as easy to see as a soccer ball._ Yumi thought, returning it easily. She knew that some considerable power had gone into the hit, but she had trained the muscles in her body for soccer, and trained all of them so as to get a balanced result. That included arm muscles, mostly meant for throw-ins but it seemed to work for tennis too.

As the rally continued, Sanada realized it would take more to go against Yumi. He started implementing strategy and skill, trying to make her run around the court more for returns and looking for an opportunity. Yumi, as they were quickly finding out, didn't mind running back and forth and side to side at all. Soccer had helped her there too, constantly switching directions on the field and increasing her endurance.

Alright, enough toying around; time for her to see just how much of her tennis skills she still had. As the ball skimmed over the net, she shifted to return it, and at the last moment dropped into a different position to return. The ball flew over the net, landed only a few feet past it, and instead of bouncing, rolled back to the net and stopped. Yumi smirked at the surprised looks she was receiving. "Looks like I've still got some old tricks up my sleeve." She said.

Sanada recovered from his surprise and moved back to the base line to receive her next serve. "Let's see how many more 'tricks' you know other than a Zero-shiki Drop Shot." He said.

"Believe me, I'd love to find that out too." Yumi said with a laugh. "I honestly have no clue how much I remember." She served again. This time during the rally she had to work much harder; the balls were more powerful and faster; and tennis strategy was all still coming back to her.

"He's not going easy on her..." Kirihara said. "He's not fully serious, but still...I'm surprised she's keeping up."

Sanada managed to return and the ball went to Yumi's side, catching her going the other way. She easily transferred her racket to her left hand and twisted in the air enough to make a proper shot. The ball did a funny curve in the air, wrapping around to bounce in the opposite direction than it was hit in a snake curve.

"So you're ambidextrous." Sanada noted, running over to catch the ball in his racket before it bounced out.

"Yup, and you're pretty fast." Yumi smirked. Her normally soft red eyes were shining and burning. "But you're not going all-out, are you? I can tell."

"You will have to show me a reason to 'go all-out'." He replied. "As it is right now, this is more than enough to handle you."

Yumi smirked. "I'll see what I can do; I don't guarantee a thing." She laughed almost darkly and hit a lob. Sanada leapt up to take advantage of a chance for a smash. After the ball left his racket, he realized it was probably a careless move of him. She didn't look worried at all.

In a flash Yumi was crouching on the ground, arms spread out. The ball went soaring high into the air towards the back of the court. _Higuma Otoshi?!_ Sanada ran back immediately. He returned the ball, only to have Yumi hit a drop shot. He ran to get that, and she hit a lob to the back. Leaping up, Sanada smashed it. If she used Higuma Otoshi again, he was already near the baseline so it wouldn't be hard to get.

Shifting her hold on the racket so its face was parallel to the ground, Yumi lunged forward, putting her own weight behind her swing to counter the power in the smash. The rim of her racket hit the ball perfectly, and shot it straight for the back corner like she aimed, hitting the inside corner of the court and then bouncing out.

"That makes it...30-0, right?" She asked, flipping her racket back around to grip it properly.

Sanada straightened from his position and looked over his opponent. _Her eyes are burning in spirit. They would easily intimidate someone. She's not weak, either. Her body is in top condition, healthy, fit, and athletic._ He took in more during the next rally. _Her reaction time is nearly instantaneous, and her body can change directions suddenly with ease. I don't see any strain on her muscles from it._ With a well placed return he got a point in, and the next serve came. _I'm not hitting easy shots to return, but while she's concentrating on the match and taking this seriously (as she should), it looks like it isn't much of a challenge for her._

Yumi won the first game without much difficulty, but everyone knew Sanada was just testing the waters. The second game was looking like that was still happening. Deciding to spice things up a bit, Yumi sighed and straightened out of her normal serve stance. "Hm...we need to have a bit more fun from tennis than this." She looked at the ball in her hand in disinterest. Squeezing it slightly, she seemed to toss it carelessly. As it spun and tumbled in the air, she hit an underhanded serve.

_She's lost interest?_ Sanada thought in surprise.

"Hey now, that's just letting him get a point." Niou commented. "Looks like she's tired of playing."

Sanada shifted to return the serve, which was still pretty fast for being underhand, but just as he made contact with the ball it suddenly spun off his racket and to the side. He stared at it as it bounced, still on his side of the court. Looking at Yumi, he saw her red eyes gleam and a smirk was on her face. _So she even knows how to incorporate psychological attacks into her tennis._

"It was all to catch him off guard, so he wouldn't notice the odd spin she put on the ball before hitting it. Looks like it worked." Yukimura commented, nothing on his face showing what he thought of the match.

"I can't remember the name I came up with for that..." Yumi said, seemingly casual but everyone now knew that she was someone not to take lightly. "I think I called it Slipper." That shot won her the next game.

As Sanada prepared to serve, he decided that he would have to be completely serious in this match. Yumi just seemed too skilled not to. He served, and scored a point before she could move a step towards returning it. Yumi looked at where the ball was bouncing back lightly, having hit the wall behind her, and then to Sanada. "You wanted me to get serious." He said, an aura like lightning crackling around him.

"He's using his disappearing shots already?" Marui whistled. "Your girl's pretty good."

"She isn't 'our girl'." Oshitari said, still watching the match intently, being very impressed with what he was gaining from it. "You were listening when she warned Yukimura about flirting; we probably wouldn't be able to walk after receiving a kick from her. Naturally we wouldn't try anything."

Yukimura chuckled. "She's feisty. Sanada's aura's very intimidating; but it looks like she can match it perfectly." He noted, and everyone else didn't need to look at Yumi to feel the challenging dark waves coming from her to show Sanada that there was no way she'd back down from a simple aura.

In the next game, Sanada served, and this time, Yumi was ready for it. She returned the ball, and it also disappeared. Sanada was shocked, but still moved to return it. To normal people it was like they were moving to hit at thin air, and then the ball would appear there in their racket, before it disappeared again.

Yanagi had at one point taken over the position as referee, and eventually he gave the final call out: "Game and match, Sanada, 7-6!"

The Regulars watching from the sidelines were shocked. Not at the call, that they had expected from the beginning...but looking at the two tennis players approaching the net...Sanada sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead from under his cap, and held out a hand to shake. Yumi took it, smiling brightly and what scared the boys was that she didn't have more than a few drops of sweat on her forehead, and wasn't breathing even slightly hard like Sanada.

Yumi moved to her bag and put away her racket and the hair tie. Yukimura offered her a bottle of water that he had bought from the school vending machine; in his opinion, seeing that match was worth the little bit of pocket change. She smiled gratefully up at him and downed half the bottle immediately. "That hit the spot. If there's one thing I've learned, it's always making sure you replenish your body's water supply after sports." She declared, before pulling out her cell.

Tezuka picked up almost immediately. Yumi? How did it go?

"It went great!" Yumi replied cheerfully. "I had so much fun! The last time I played was when I visited you in Japan, and I left my stuff here. Really, after not playing for five years, this was wonderful." She was too into her conversation to notice the strange looks she was being given; either that or she didn't care and chose to ignore them.

"She hasn't played for five YEARS?" Gakuto gaped. But Yumi was still talking to the other person on the phone.

"Yeah, I thought I would have forgotten some things too, but they just started coming back to me. I ended up losing at 7-6. Not bad considering how rusty I am!" Yumi declared proudly. "I couldn't hit shots as powerfully or accurately as I used to against you, and it took my body some time to get used to tennis form again."

Sanada, from where he was drinking his water, was surprised at this revelation. Yukimura smiled at the vice captain, and said quietly "Amazing, isn't it? If she had been in top shape, you probably would have lost; she would have easily been able to face me in an equal match." Sanada agreed.

They turned their attention back to the conversation, knowing it was bad to listen in but were overwhelmingly curious. Yumi must have just been asked who she faced, because she repeated the question in surprise. "Who I faced? You should know them, after all you told me about Yukimura." She said, sitting down on the ground by the tennis bag that was now closed, being mindful of her skirt. "I didn't face the captain, no!" She replied to something the person had said. "Be serious. I faced some guy named Sanada."

There was a pause, and then, "What? He's the vice-captain?" Yumi looked up at Sanada and Yukimura with a raised eyebrow, and they nodded confirmation. "Well go figure. Niou actually DID have a plan. From his comments, I had to wonder if he was actually bothering to think." When Niou started speaking loudly in protest to the insult, she waved him off with a stern look that said 'shut up idiot I'm on the phone!'

That started Gakuto and Marui snickering at the wounded silver haired player, which Yumi ignored for Tezuka was speaking again. You're at Rikkaidai? Alone? I'll come pick you up...

"Absolutely not!" Yumi snapped, making the listeners jump slightly. "I said you sounded better, but even if you feel better you can't push yourself. You're staying in bed until I come over there with your school work and tennis bag, and you're going to eat a warm, healthy meal and go to sleep!"

Yumi, I'm feeling much better. Tezuka protested, but Yumi could hear his grandmother enter the room and say in the background that he still had to take some medicine and to stay in bed.

"Ha, I'm not the only one saying stay in bed." Yumi said smugly.

Still-

Giving a cry of frustration, Yumi snapped angrily into the phone "TEZUKA KUNIMITSU, you are going to STAY in bed and REST! If I get there to find out that you weren't, and I WILL know, then you'll regret it!" Hearing his defeated sigh, she said "Good. I'll see you soon." Hanging up, she grabbed his tennis bag and then bent down for her school bag.

"Well, I'm off! Thanks for the match, nice meeting you all, and thanks for the water Yukimura!" Yumi said with a smile. "Later boys!" She ran off, no longer jogging but running, to make up for at least some of the lost time spent on the match. She didn't even notice the slack jawed faces of the boys she left behind.

"That...That was Tezuka she was talking to?!" The louder of the Regulars from both schools exclaimed. The others, even Yukimura, were snapped out of their speechless states.

"Oh my god, she yelled at him! She ordered him to stay in bed because he's sick! Someone our age can actually order Tezuka!" Gakuto just couldn't seem to believe it.

"Recalling her first conversation would make you even more surprised, then." Yagyuu said, pushing up his glasses from where they had fallen slightly from his face. "If you recall, that tennis bag is Tezuka's. And he has kept a girl's tennis racket and even got hair ties for her, in his own bag...for five years."

This was followed by another "Oh my god!" And many shocked faces as they tried to imagine just why Tezuka would do that, and just what exactly it meant.

"She's incredibly skilled at tennis." Yukimura said. He turned to look at the members from Hyoutei. "What do you know about her?" He asked. "Is she on the girl's tennis team at Seigaku?"

"No." Choutarou said, blinking. "She...doesn't play tennis on a team at all. Yumi's a soccer player, she chose that over tennis."

"Aside from that, and her personality, it's really all we know about her." Oshitari said. "She just came to Japan this last week. I know Rikkaidai's entering the National Soccer Tournament; Yumi's soccer team from America was invited to Japan to be a part of it."

"She nearly beat Sanada and she isn't even a serious tennis player?" Yukimura was genuinely surprised. "As glad as I am that we don't have to face her in a tournament, I'm more disappointed that I'll never be able to find out just how far she could've gone in tennis."

"Well, there is ONE more thing I know." Oshitari said thoughtfully. "I overheard Kamio and Shinji from Fudoumine talking. Kamio was at the arcade and that was where he met Yumi. She was with Tezuka at the time."

"As in...on a date?" Marui asked, wide eyed. "Don't do that, you made me swallow my gum!"

"I was being serious. He was there with her holding her sweater and bag while she played DDR." Oshitari deadpanned.

Meanwhile, completely unaware of the conversations going on about her and Tezuka, Yumi made her way up to the sick tennis player's room. She set his tennis bag down at the foot of his bed and drew from her school bag his homework. Tezuka was sitting up in his bed, an extra blanket over his shoulders, and still in his long blue pyjamas.

"Good to see you stayed in bed. Sorry for yelling, but we both know that you'd go to school until you fainted from fever unless someone forced you to stay home and rest." Yumi smiled at him and passed him his homework. "Cari said that none of this is due until Friday, so don't rush to get it done tonight." She said as he looked it over and nodded.

"Thank you for bringing this to me." Tezuka said. "I can get this done now, before dinner."

"Well go for it." Yumi passed him a pencil and a book to write on from his desk, and pulled out her own schoolwork to finish as well.

"How long are you staying?" Tezuka asked. "I don't want you catching my cold."

"Just until our homework's done. This way if you have any questions I can explain better." Yumi replied. "It's easier if I can see the sheets rather than talk over the phone; Cari went over the whole thing with me, because she said that it got confusing at times."

Tezuka had to ask for clarification on what the teacher was asking for on the assignment a few times, interrupting their working silence and the sounds of pencils on paper. Their work quickly got done, both of them being students with high averages despite their devotion to sports.

Yumi grabbed her schoolbag after setting Tezuka's work on his desk. Tezuka was sliding back under the covers of his bed, ready to rest again before dinner. "Yumi...?" He asked questioningly, seeing her move over to the bed and wondering why.

Bending down, Yumi brushed his bangs away lightly and gave him a gentle kiss to the forehead. "Get better, ok?" She smiled down at him and then stood and left the room.

Tezuka suddenly felt warm. He brought a hand to his forehead, blushing a bit. _What is this...?_ He sighed, turning over onto his side. "Probably just from the fever..." He muttered, putting his glasses on the nightstand by his table and closing his eyes to go to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 11**

Atobe raised his eyebrow in surprise when Oshitari approached him in class, a laptop held under his arm. "Oshitari, what have you been up to?" He asked warily. "You're not hacking into school files again are you?"

"No, not this time." Oshitari replied with a smirk. Putting the computer down on the captain's desk, he lifted the screen up and accessed a few saved files. "That girl who so coldly rejected you has a very interesting history..." He said, leaning back in the desk chair next to Atobe's and waiting for him to read through.

Atobe first chose to look at her name, something he hadn't gotten. _Tsukiyama Yumi, huh?_ He started reading the first thing that came up: an article on her. It talked about how she was being scouted as a potential future pro, and her successful tournaments that she won in America and other countries. "They talk as if she's the team captain, but she isn't." Atobe remarked.

"I managed to get some information from their captain, Jun." Oshitari informed him. "She's their strategist and like a manager for the team; Yumi let her take the position as captain/coach because she doesn't actually play soccer."

"And how did you manage to get that from her?" Atobe asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, we're going out right now." He said with a shrug. "We'll be corresponding by email after her time in Japan is up."

Only slightly surprised at the revelation, Atobe nodded and returned to looking at the screen. _So she DID live here in Japan before..._ He noted as he saw a school file on her that was at least seven years old. "Hm...well, at least I know who she is now." Atobe said finally, after he finished.

"There is one other thing that we've managed to find out." Oshitari said slowly. When Atobe looked at him, he said "She's familiar with Tezuka. It's obvious they know each other as good friends...at the least."

"So she has Tezuka. That would explain why she could resist my charms." Atobe said thoughtfully. He noticed Oshitari giving him a surprised look. "Tezuka is my tennis rival, but I'm not about to chase after someone's girlfriend. **I** don't need to do that." He sniffed. "But it sounds like she's worth watching as a soccer player. I'm not into the sport myself, but maybe we should go see her matches at the tournament this weekend, eh Oshitari?"

* * *

Yumi sighed as she looked at the clock. Honestly, she was glad that Fuji and Eiji sat behind her and that they were in the corner. She had had five balls of paper aimed at her when the teacher wasn't looking, and everyone tried to trip her on her way back to her seat. _God, I don't even know what I did._ She let out another small sigh.

_All I know is that those three did something._ She thought, remembering the three girls she got off on the wrong side with. _They've been smirking at me whenever they see me in the halls._ _I think this is one of the few times I've had the guy population of the school hate me too._

The bell rang, and Yumi stood to leave. She kept on a mask of indifference as she moved to leave out the door. Eiji watched after her, and noticed three boys at the front of the room glancing at her and picking up chalkboard erasers. He nudged Fuji and the two moved between them and Yumi casually, Fuji pretending he was throwing out some scrap paper.

"What are you stopping us for?" One of the boys hissed once Yumi was out of the room. "Didn't you hear what she did?!"

"I'm sure Yumi wouldn't do that." Fuji said coldly. "We're getting down to the bottom of these rumours today. Go to the back courtyard of the school by the soccer fields and tennis courts this afternoon."

Yumi, meanwhile, was unaware of the happenings behind her back and the heroes standing up for her. She walked down the hallways, getting jostled around by people deliberately running into her. Luckily she was used to that from soccer and brushed it all off easily. On the outside she didn't care, but on the inside, she was feeling her spirits sinking with each new cold look, each new harsh treatment.

She was strong, but everyone could only take so much. She acted as everyone's support and that's how her team was built, on trust and devotion and friendship. But this wasn't the soccer field..._I can't always be the unbeatable support._

"Yumi!"

Looking back up the stairs she was going down, she saw Tezuka standing there. Smiling brightly to hide her inner feelings, she said "Hey Kunimitsu!"

"Yumi, let's go someplace we can talk in private." Tezuka said quietly, grabbing her arm and bringing her up the stairs with him, out onto the school roof.

"How are you feeling?" Yumi asked, turning to look up at him.

"I'm fine now." He replied. "But what about you?"

"What do you mean?" Yumi pretended to be surprised at the question. "I'm in perfect health."

"I've heard a bad rumour about you." Tezuka said, letting some worry show on his face. "Yumi, you have friends to help you get through this. We'll help you get to the bottom of it."

"I don't even know what they're saying I did." Yumi admitted, sighing and letting her worry and sadness show. It was only fair, since he was always being open with her, to be honest with him as well. Besides, she had always told him the truth, and never tried to hide things from Tezuka. _He always seems to find out anyways_.

"...It's not pleasant, but I know you'd never do such a thing. Meet me outside the tennis courts this afternoon." Tezuka instructed. "You don't have practice today, right?"

"That's right. The weekend and the tournament are tomorrow, we get to rest tonight." Yumi said. "I hope we can get to the bottom of this, Kunimitsu. I don't want to come out of a tournament to a bunch of problems; that's the last thing I'll need then." She said quietly, frowning.

Tezuka nodded. "I know; after a tournament you don't handle stress very well at all." He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Trust me. And trust in your friends."

Yumi smiled wryly and gave him a hug. "...I do. I'll meet you there."

* * *

Ieris sighed and looked at Cari. "You ready to do this?" She asked quietly.

Cari nodded. "Everything's ready. We're going to prove Yumi innocent!"

"If all else fails, I'll blackmail the entire school." Ieris muttered darkly. She saw Cari's wide eyed look and rolled her eyes. "You know I would; we have a chance to repay Yumi and help her out for once. Besides, we have to get this done. If she comes back to stress after the tournament..."

"...She might snap." Cari finished, shivering. "Do you think Tezuka can calm her down even when she's...THAT angry? The last person was recovering for days, and never spoke to her again!"

"It won't come to that. Let's go; that's the last bell of the day." Ieris said, standing and hurrying out of the classroom with Cari.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 12**

Yumi looked around the tennis courts. _Okaaaaaaay...Kunimitsu told me to meet him here. But what gives? It's totally empty..._Crossing her arms, she plopped down on a bench and waited. Tezuka was hardly ever late; he must have a good reason. But she'd give him a hard time once he did arrive.

"Ah, Yumi, there you are!" Ryuzaki came up with a warm smile on her face. "I see you got here before me."

Needless to say, Yumi was very confused. She was supposed to be meeting Tezuka, right?

"Tezuka told me you wanted to join the girl's tennis team?" Ryuzaki asked cheerfully. "I must say I'm surprised, I thought you'd only be here for a short while and would be too busy with soccer to take up another club. But we'll be happy to have you-"

"Whoa, wait a minute Ryuzaki-sensei!" Yumi interrupted, standing. "I didn't know there was a girl's tennis team! And what's this about joining it? Just what has Kunimitsu been telling you?"

"What hasn't he been telling YOU?" Ryuzaki answered in surprise. "He never told you of the girl's tennis team? There's a boy's one, after all."

"Before I came here I didn't even know the names of his teammates, let alone that there was another tennis team." Yumi said slowly. Something was going on here. _That look in her eyes told me she wasn't actually surprised._

"So I guess you didn't hear then." Ryuzaki mused thoughtfully.

"Hear what?" Yumi asked, perplexed. _I just want to know what on earth is going on!_

"The girl's changing room was ransacked." Ryuzaki stated seriously.

"What?!" Yumi stared at her in utter shock. "Who would do that? What could they gain from that, honestly?"

"We don't know. Some of their possessions were stolen, but that's it besides it looking like a tornado went through it. But there was money kept in there that was collected for a fundraiser which was stolen." Ryuzaki answered. "There's a rumour...that you did it."

"Really..." Yumi blinked once, took a deep breath, and exhaled. Then the shock passed and the reaction to the realization came barging in to take its place: "WHAT?!" She roared.

"But obviously, that's not true." Ryuzaki looked over her shoulder and called out "Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Everyone...?" Yumi stared as from around the corner, in perfect hearing distance, came a bunch of students. They were all staring at her uncomfortably, with guilt in their eyes and in their stances. The boys were shifting back and forth on their feet and looking away from her eyes, and the girls were fiddling with their skirts and glancing at each other. Then from behind them came the tennis regulars.

"See? There's your proof that the rumours aren't true." Fuji said, smiling. "Yumi couldn't have been the one to ransack the girl's changing rooms and steal the fundraising money. She didn't even know about the girl's team, so she wouldn't know of their change room."

"We're sorry for doubting you, Tsukiyama-chan!" Some girls gushed out, looking at her sadly. "But they just seemed so sure! And we all knew about how you love locks, so we believed them when they said that you broke into the change room!"

"Who said that?" Yumi asked, perplexed.

"Yeah, and the girls seemed so sure so us guys believed them!" Some of the boys said. "We'd never put the blame on you otherwise!"

"Yeah, you're not the type who'd do that." A girl added. "You're friendly with everyone, senpai, and really honest about everything."

"Brutally honest, at times." Oishi spoke up, smiling ruefully. He still remembered a time a few days ago that Eiji had told him about. Yumi had been talking with Eiji about things they liked and had suddenly mentioned liking pets. This being one of Eiji's favourite topics caused him to bolt up from his chair and shout 'me too!' in front of the whole class. The teacher was going to get Eiji in trouble when Yumi stood and said that it was here fault, she got Eiji worked up, and so she had taken detention instead of the hyperactive redhead.

"Wait, so...this was all planned out?" Yumi asked, her gaze darting back and forth between the group of students and the tennis players.

"That's right!"

Yumi turned to see Ieris and Cari standing by Ryuzaki, smiling at her. She looked back to the Regulars and the students to see Tezuka had moved to the front of the group. Her red eyes met his light golden brown ones and she knew what had happened. Ieris and Cari probably spoke with Fuji, and together came up with a plan that the tennis Regulars then helped to implement. Tezuka had gone along with it to get her to drop her guard and fall for it.

And for a brief moment, Yumi blushed a bit, embarrassed at what lengths her friends would go to help her. "You guys are all crazy..." She muttered, lowering her head so her hair hid her expression. Her shoulders trembled slightly as she struggled to hold in a few sobs. She had honestly had no idea how she could have dealt with the rumours, and having everyone in school against her had really bothered her on the inside, since she had done nothing wrong. The fact that no one had believed in her hurt the most; the fact that her friends had stood up for her to this extent cut her deeply, but not in a painful way. It was pure relief and happiness that caused the tears to well up in her eyes. She completely forgot about chewing Tezuka out for being late to their meeting.

"Let's take you home, Yumi." Tezuka said, coming up and putting his arm around her shoulders in a comforting manner. "After this weekend, you won't have to worry about people in school."

"That's right, we've got your back Yumi-senpai!" Momoshiro declared with a grin.

"I've calculated that the number of students here is adequate to spread the word around that Yumi's innocent in a few day's time." Inui said.

"So you have nothing to worry about except getting a good night's rest for your tournament tomorrow." Tezuka finished, leading Yumi away. He could sense that she needed some time now.

"Thank you so much for your help..." Cari said to the tennis Regulars, bowing deeply. Ieris had by now lost the smile on her face that she gave Yumi and looked away expressionlessly, crossing her arms and only giving a small 'hn'.

"Um...Cari-chan, where's the soccer tournament being held?" One of the students piped up.

"Yes, we wanted to watch, didn't we?" Fuji asked the other tennis players, who nodded eagerly.

Before Cari could answer, Ieris spoke: "East Sakura Park. Eight o'clock." She then grabbed Cari's arm and they walked off after Tezuka and Yumi.

Meanwhile...

"Yumi? Are you ok?" Tezuka asked quietly. The girl he was walking with had stopped, and since he had his arm around her shoulders—which weren't shaking anymore—it made him stop too.

"Yeah, I'm fine..." Yumi took a deep breath and wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I just...lost myself a bit back there, I mean...It feels so nice to have friends that will stick up for me like you guys do..."

"I told you, you're not alone. Friends help each other with their problems." Tezuka said. "It must be hard on you, being everyone's support all the time." There was some sympathy in his tone; he himself knew what it was like to feel obligated to meet everyone's expectations. "Just remember to take a break when things get to be too much."

"Oh, I plan on doing just that. This weekend, I'm having a nice LONG break." Yumi looked up at him, a refreshing smile on her face. "Soccer all the way!"

* * *

At East Sakura Park...

Students and parents, children and grandparents, they all gathered for the big day ahead. For today was none other than the day that the schools in the nation would be competing together, all to claim the title for their school of having the best soccer team. A huge bulletin board displayed the schedules and the match ups for the tournament for the first day; it would last the two days of the weekend in total.

"Wow, I can't believe how many Seigaku students have showed up." The captain of the boys soccer team from Seigaku, Haru, said.

One of his teammates, a midfielder, said "I didn't think our club was this popular; isn't this turn out more than what even the tennis team gets?"

Indeed, an overwhelming amount of Seigaku uniforms were present. It was just like the amount of Hyoutei members that would show up for their tennis team. The difference was this group had just as many girls as there were boys. All of them went around in their own little groups of twos, threes, and fours. The thing was...

"Why do those banners say 'Red Hill'?" Haru asked, sweatdropping.

"Eeeee, TSUKIYAMA!!" The girls suddenly squealed.

Other soccer teams from other schools and the people that went to see them turned their heads to look at the commotion. _Tsukiyama? Must be a guy from Seigaku._ They thought. Of course they'd be surprised when a group of girls in bright red soccer jerseys came walking down the path.

Jun pulled a pencil from the bun she had pulled her black hair into and regarded the bulletin with her crystal blue eyes. Today they held sharpness that, while always present, usually stayed fairly subdued. Now, it was out in full; if she pierced someone with that look, they'd swear she was examining their mind for all their hidden secrets. She quickly scribbled down the tournament rosters and the bits of information on the schools participating.

-Well, Captain Jun?- Yumi asked, after waving briefly with a smile to the group of students who had called out to her. -How's this going to work?-

-We're guests here, as it is.- Jun answered, and the team gathered around her in a loose huddle to hear what she had to say. -The basic idea is that it would look bad if we managed to win here; it wouldn't be a fair way to rank the other schools. So when a team loses they'll face us. That will give them a chance to redeem themselves a bit.-

-Aw, so that means we can't win?- Megan groaned.

-No, it means we get to face every team here.- Nzinga corrected. -Think about it; what's more fun than that?-

-I agree!- Rhea said.

-Hey Yumi, your boyfriend's here.- Alison said, nudging their shadow-captain. -He and his friends are over there.-

-He's not exactly my boyfriend...we haven't really talked about that stuff, really.- Yumi admitted.

-What?! But you've been on dates with him, right?- Karen asked, astonished.

-Well, yeah. I'm just saying we've never actually asked each other out. Technically, it isn't official yet.- Yumi said with a shrug. -Not that I care much; it doesn't feel like we have to actually say 'will you be my girl/boyfriend' for it to actually be the case.-

-You're brave. What if some other girl asks him out?- Deanna asked. She was finally off her crutches for her sprained ankle, and was deemed able to play for a few games.

-They always do once they get brave enough, he just always says no. I figured I had nothing to worry about, since for the last nine years he hasn't gone on any dates except with me.- Yumi answered.

-That's serious dedication!- The girls declared in awe. -No, that's beyond dedication, that's full-time commitment!- They amended.

-Girls, we have a tournament to play in.- Yumi reminded them. -Oh yeah, and Jun said we'd be playing the winners, too.-

-NO KIDDING?! Alright!- The girls cheered.

-Come on, according to the schedule we'll be facing whoever loses between Rikkaidai and Hyoutei.- Jun said. -Let's go check out the competition.-

-Yes ma'am!- The team moved out to the fields to watch.

* * *

A whistle blew shrilly three times. The girls from Red Hill all stood and stretched out. -Well, looks like we play Rikkaidai.- Jun stated. She didn't bother looking up at the team, just flipped to a fresh sheet of paper on her clipboard and started scribbling rapidly. -Here's what I found out about them, and below is the plan.-

Yumi looked at the sheet as Jun passed it to her and scanned it over quickly. Then she proceeded to pass it on to the rest of the team. It was best if everyone knew what they were up against, not just her.

"Oi, Yumi!"

Looking up, Yumi was startled to find the Rikkaidai tennis regulars there. Niou was the one who had called out. She stood and moved over to them curiously. "You guys came to watch?"

"Of course." Yukimura answered with a smile. "I really want to see your skills at soccer, considering your skills in tennis."

"Heh. Don't be surprised if we get a sudden...change in personality on the field." Yumi said, smirking a bit. "It's much worse than what Sanada felt."

"Then I pity your opponents." Renji said. "From the data Inui gave me, your team is extremely skilled and well-conditioned."

"Oh you have no idea." Yumi said, smiling darkly.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 13**

The game against Rikkaidai was swift and merciless; the girls of Yumi's team had been itching to play a real game for the past week. After Jun had given them the starting plan, it had gone smoothly. Yumi, Cari, and Ieris had been the forwards, so that the team could start out strong. It was easy for the twins, who were set to midfield, to pass up to the forwards and score.

All in all, it had ended 10-0. It was so bad that Jun had told them to tone it down a bit, and save their energy; once they got that far they simply kept Rikkaidai from scoring. And the girls were hardly sweating.

-We missed most of the other preliminary games, but we'll make the best of it.- Jun said. -C'mon everyone, let's go see Jyousei Shounan. I've got a feeling they'll be something to watch out for.-

Yumi followed behind the team, but lagged behind a bit. She had seen Seigaku watching the game as well, and wanted to speak with them. Suddenly she heard some guys speaking condescendingly.

"Hey, can you believe the tennis regulars from Seigaku came?"

"I know, they're tennis players! They have no business at a soccer tournament."

"No kidding! And they're not even cheering for their own school."

"Who're they rooting for?"

"The American team, duh. Of course they're going for the hot girls."

"HEY!" Yumi exclaimed angrily, interrupting the conversation as she glared at the four boys. "If you guys are sports fans in any way, you'd know better than to badmouth others behind their backs!"

"What? She understood us?!" One of the guys hissed to his friends.

"You idiots, don't just assume that if someone's from another country they can't understand what you say!" Yumi snapped. "So _what_ if they decide to go see a soccer game? They're showing support for their friends, and there's nothing wrong with that! As if you don't watch other sports too!"

"Just because your team's full of hot chicks you think everyone's going to support you?" One of them sneered. "Look you little tramp, your team's just some hotshot team from America playing in a GUY'S league, where girls don't belong anyways. Your looks are the only reason those tennis players are watching."

"They are NOT that shallow!" Yumi's glare, if it were possible, hardened. "Normally I get mad when boys think they're so much better than girls, but that can go on hold. I'm not going to just stand by and let you insult the tennis team like that!"

"What can you do about it? Bring it on." They challenged.

"You know what, you're so not worth it, but I will anyways because you just pissed me off!" Yumi declared angrily. "Since you four are so tough, why don't YOU bring it on? I can take you, so come at me!"

Not needing any more provocation, one of the boys quickly moved to punch her. Yumi caught his arm and twisted it around, holding him in a lock. She then pushed him forwards to the ground and kicked him, sending him rolling a bit away from her. When his friends also came at her, she dropped into a fighting stance and proceeded to easily block their attempts at hurting her. She delivered three good round house kicks and the boys were down for the count, clutching their stomachs/sides.

"That's enough, Yumi." A stern voice said.

"Hm? Oh, it's you Kunimitsu." Yumi said, looking back at who had spoken. Her glare softened and then disappeared altogether. "Fine, I'll stop since you asked me to so nicely."

_She calls that asking?_ The Regulars behind Tezuka wondered.

"Hey, Yumi-senpai, does this mean you actually don't hate us?" Momoshiro asked. "I mean, you totally stood up for us. We heard what these guys were saying, but Fuji-senpai convinced us not to interfere..."

"You're a bunch of idiots. I've never really hated you, and now I don't even dislike you." Yumi said, laughing lightly.

And it was then that the Regulars noticed that the odd look in her eyes each time she called them idiots was that of fondness mixed with annoyance and understanding patience, which was why it was so hard to place it. She wasn't speaking out of malice, whenever she called them idiots; more like it was a general term for their group, a nickname (albeit not a very nice nickname). She was actually quite fond of them, and Ieris and Cari knew that but never told them; now they had figured it out for themselves.

"You'll understand her personality eventually." Tezuka told them. He, of course, had known all along her strange terms of endearment, and so hadn't gotten offended whenever she called his friends that. They were a group of crazy antics, anyways.

"By the way, we noticed that you had Rikkaidai come see your games." Oishi said. "How'd you meet them?"

"Long story short, I was going past Hyoutei and some of them walked with me, then we passed Rikkaidai, and they started playing tennis." Yumi said, shrugging. "Then there were some comments made about girls and sports, so I played Sanada."

"You faced the vice-captain?!" They exclaimed.

"Yes, and thanks to that we had quite the show to watch." Yukimura said, coming up with his team.

"Did I hear right that Yumi actually plays tennis too?" Fudoumine came up, with Kamio having asked the question. "No wonder she didn't answer when we asked about tennis in the arcade."

"So she faced Sanada?" Tachibana asked curiously. "Who won?"

"Sanada did, of course!" Kirihara said, scoffing.

"But she sure gave him a run for his money. We were all surprised." Niou commented.

"Especially you, I'm sure; never thought a girl would insult you so soon after meeting her, did you?" Yagyuu piped up.

"Yumi..." Tezuka sighed when he heard that, rubbing his temples.

"What? Yukimura was fine with it, weren't you?" Yumi asked. Yukimura nodded with a smile in response. "Besides, I wasn't there alone; I told you, Hyoutei was there too."

"So I hear." Now Atobe had joined the ever-growing group with his team. "Oshitari gave me the details. Tezuka, is it true that you let her yell and order you around?"

"What?!" Those from Seigaku exclaimed, staring at their captain. There was also evident surprise in those from Fudoumine. Those from Rikkaidai nodded confirmation, as well as Gakuto, Oshitari, Shishido and Choutarou.

"He was sick and had to stay in bed. He'd never do that unless I ordered him to." Yumi said, as if that explained everything.

Inui spoke up, an evil grin on his face. "According to data I received, Tezuka, you keep her tennis equipment with your own, and have done so for the past five years."

"WHAT?!" Now there was an even louder exclamation from Seigaku and Fudoumine.

"Oh cut the guy some slack. Anyways, I'd better go back to my team." Yumi said. "Don't be surprised if you see Jyousei Shounan around her somewhere, too."

"Why might they be here?" Oishi asked.

"The twins on my team got friendly with the twins on their tennis team." Yumi answered. "They've been going out since we practiced there. They make the cutest couples! I can't wait to invite them over for a Halloween party sometime, the tricks they'd come up with would be awesome." She seemed to be the only one to think that as the others shuddered at the idea of two sets of twins letting their mischievous streaks loose. "Anyways, now I really do have to get going back to my team. Bye guys, don't tease Kunimitsu or I'll have to kick your asses!"

"...You have an interesting girlfriend there, Tezuka." Atobe remarked, after Yumi had run out of hearing distance.

Tezuka agreed about the interesting part, but he knew he wouldn't change a thing about Yumi. Unfortunately, he was now stuck facing the imminent teasing that would surely come.

"I think they're well suited for each other." Fuji spoke up.

"Yes, I agree. Don't worry Tezuka, we won't tease you on this any further." Yukimura said, smiling. "But you'll have to get used to people assuming you two are a couple. It's a common assumption, and I'm sure it's not that far off from the truth."

Tezuka thought better of telling them that technically, they weren't a couple. He had never really asked Yumi to be his girlfriend, or to go out with him...Somehow, they just always managed to make plans together. And thanks to his silence, the teams followed Red Hill to view their next game. After all, they knew they hadn't even come close to seeing the team's true potential.

* * *

It was now the second and last day of the tournament, and still the tennis teams knew that they hadn't seen everything Yumi and her team had to offer them. Not that they weren't still given quite a show; far from it. There were plays made that surprised the best of them.

For example, one game against Yamabuki showed that Yumi, Ieris, and Cari didn't play at all, and they were clearly the strongest of the team. Instead, the twins had been placed as forwards. The whole team line-up was switched around, not one girl playing a position she had before, including the goalie. That had served to be Yamabuki's downfall, for the information they'd gathered was rendered useless. To the onlookers, they could've sworn that out of the two twins, Lucy and Lacy, there was only one of them who just happened to be everywhere. Sometimes their plays were just that well coordinated.

Another time it was just Cari on the field out of the five star players. Eiji had been unusually cheerful and supportive during that play. The shy girl had gone completely unnoticed on the offensive line, and she had completely caught the other team off guard when she kicked the ball from the corner. It had performed a beautiful curving arch in the air to land in the net.

It wasn't just those five that were amazing; the whole team was. They performed shots and plays that Inui and Renji swore couldn't be done without serious heavy training and unbelievable trust and coordination. Jun, having overheard that, had just smirked at them and said "Of course calculators like you wouldn't understand. It takes a tactician to understand the way the games play out."

In a small break between games, Yumi sat down by the tennis teams and struck up a conversation. "So...what do you think?" She asked, grinning.

"Your team is awesome nya!" Eiji replied right away.

"I'm sure we haven't seen everything you can do." Niou spoke up.

"No, you haven't." Yumi replied. "But soccer is a team sport. I can't just take over and try to be a one-girl show."

"I bet you can run even faster than Kamio!" Ann said, causing the Speed Demon to protest weakly in embarrassment.

"Probably can run for longer, too." Yumi agreed, ignoring the protests just like Ann.

"Still, you're supremely good at soccer." Yukimura said. "You can tell just by watching you handle the ball."

"Indeed; soccer isn't an area of specialty to us, but it's quite clear." Atobe remarked.

"Thanks! Well Kunimitsu? This is the first time you've seen me play seriously." Yumi leaned back to look at the captain who had yet to speak.

"You...have improved a lot over the years, Yumi." Tezuka said quietly. "Sometimes I wonder if you've ever thought of your limitations."

"Actually, I haven't." Yumi admitted. "To me, I can't just say that reaching a certain level is my dream. That feels like I'm limiting my potential to grow, so for me, my only goal is to continue playing soccer, better than each day before."

"You told us that your team has different personalities on the field once you get pushed too far." Tachibana said. "When do you think that will happen?"

An announcement pinged on the speaker systems in the park, announcing the next games to be played. Among them, they heard _Seigaku vs. Red Hill_. Yumi grinned. "Very, very soon." She answered.

* * *

The tennis teams all stood/sat around the large soccer field. Below them, actually on the field, Jun held a huddle with the team. -We're facing Seigaku now.- Jun said quietly. -They made it as far as the finals, and ultimately lost to Hyoutei. We can't go easy on them like we've been doing.-

-That's why we came to Japan, to get a good challenge!- Alison said, in a duh tone of voice.

-We're going to start strong.- Jun declared. -Cari, Yumi, Ieris, you three are forwards. Lacy, Lucy, main defence. Rhea's our goalie. We'll see how things go by second half; go with our Volt Plan and our back up will be the Boomerang Plan. Watch for hand signals, the plans might change.-

The girls jogged out on field once the plans were laid down. The ref blew the whistle to begin. At first, it seemed that neither team had the advantage. Red Hill couldn't keep the ball and take it away as easily as it could with other teams. Seigaku managed to hold its own, as the boys made use of their larger and more muscular builds to force the girls out of the way while still remaining within the rules.

After two goals were scored against the girls, Jun smiled. "What's so funny?! You're down two-nothing!" Kamio exclaimed.

"You obviously suck at tactics." Jun replied. She raised her hand and gave what looked like a peace sign.

"Uh, I think they know the score, you don't have to tell them." Momoshiro said, clueless.

"That's obviously a signal, moron." Kaidoh hissed. "Look." He indicated the girls on the field who all repeated the sign to each other behind their backs.

And suddenly, in the next face-off, Yumi had passed the ball to Ieris and the offence group was rushing the net. Cari gave a high pass to Yumi, who promptly headed the ball into the net above the goalie's head. Yukimura smiled. "The point was to get Seigaku overconfident. Looks like it worked; their captain gave the signal and then they, for lack of a better term, dominated that play."

Before the next face off, as everyone returned to positions, Yumi made a quick gesture to Cari and Ieris, who then passed the gesture back to the midfielders, who then showed it to defence. The game resumed, and this time when the boys tried to force the girls off track with their size advantages, they simply hunched over a bit and slipped right by in sudden bursts of speed, neatly knocking the ball from their feet to a waiting girl who would dribble it up the field again.

Yumi smirked as the girls tied the game up, and then pulled away by a point. _You think we haven't played with guys? Of course they'd try to use their physical advantages, but you can't do a thing against better speed and skill!_ She laughed as she easily faked out another boy to score neatly in the top corner of the net, the ball barely skimming the top and side goal posts. The ball had hugged the poles so well that there was no way the goalie could stop it from entering, even had he been able to jump that high.

And then it had to happen. Seigaku started using full-out dirty play.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 14**

_Now...they're really making me __**mad**__._

Yumi grit her teeth as she was tackled by a boy's shoulder and elbow. Crossing her arms over her chest, she hit the ground and curled up. Her momentum had her flip around into a roll that she instantly recovered from, using it to get a better start at running again by pushing off the ground while remaining low. They had faced dirty players before, but you could only avoid so much.

Every one of the girls had practiced avoiding the common tactics of slide tackles and shoves, and unusually high kicks. But there was a difference between dirty tricks and intention to do harm. And Yumi had had enough within the next goal that Seigaku scored.

Had they been in an anime, an ominous wind would have started blowing and dark clouds would have loomed overhead, blotting out the sun. Yumi changed her ponytail into a bun at the back of her head, with only a few loose pieces sticking out. Her head was tilted down somewhat so her expression couldn't be seen.

Those on the sidelines didn't know what to expect. Something had changed about Yumi. The tennis players from Rikkaidai had a faint inkling as to what it was. "It's almost like how she became during our tennis match." Sanada mused, eyes narrowing.

"But it's different somehow, isn't it?" Niou questioned.

"It's different than a fighting spirit." Hiyoshi remarked. "It's...an aura...a strange, intimidating aura..."

"I never thought I'd be nervous because of some girl who put her hair back in a bun on a soccer field." Oshitari said, pushing up his glasses a bit. "But I admit that I am."

"Hm..." Jun smirked, the expression looking extremely dangerous on her pretty features. It sharpened the look in her eyes to chilling levels. "Now you'll see just what Red Hill is known for."

"And what's that?" Oishi asked worriedly.

"Becoming monsters."

Everyone's gazes snapped to the field. Not only had Yumi stopped moving, but so had the other girls. The face off after the last goal started and the boys easily went right past the girls. They slowed down in confusion at how none of the girls were moving at all, but shrugged it off and dribbled up to the net, eager to take the chance presented to them. The girls on the bench had also stilled to a disturbing quietness.

"Red Hill isn't just red..." Cari spoke softly, but somehow it carried across the field.

"It's burning." The girls on the bench replied darkly.

"What will the fires do?" Ieris asked quietly.

"...Destroy." All the girls on the field joined those on the bench in answer to that. The boys took a shot on net in the far corner, and suddenly Rhea, the goalie, sidestepped incredibly fast and grabbed it in her hands. She jogged up a bit and quickly drop kicked the ball out of the goalie box.

The boys turned to go after the ball soaring through the air. Their eyes followed it as it landed perfectly at Yumi's feet, and she stopped it neatly with one foot on the ball. She had slowly turned to face their direction, and her head raised just enough for the onlookers to see her blazing red eyes. "We will _**destroy **_you." She smiled darkly, and in her eyes was a look of such serious spirit, such determination and strength, that for a moment the boys froze.

And that moment was all it took. Yumi passed the ball to Ieris who promptly dribbled up the field and scored. Turning, everyone could see that the usually indifferent blond haired girl was grinning, her blue eyes becoming sharp sapphires. The game play resumed with a face-off as usual, and with a show of teamwork and overwhelming skill, Cari scored the next goal.

"They're...all...like that..." Yukimura said slowly in utter amazement. The girls on the field had undergone the same change that Yumi had. Even those on the bench had suddenly changed. But none of the girls could compare to the aura that Yumi gave out.

"Has she always had that locked away?" Atobe asked Tezuka.

"Yes...she just never tapped into it when we were younger..." Tezuka answered, in a small state of shock. He hadn't known that Yumi had that in her. "She has a temper that can be hard to manage at times, but not even that has gotten to these levels. I'm...surprised at how she's managed to bring out the spirit of every girl on her team."

"If we're all monsters on the field, then Yumi's definitely the Queen of us all." Jun commented. "I can't think of any other terms to describe us in. Seigaku doesn't stand a chance now."

"Isn't being that overconfident dangerous?" Oishi asked.

"I'm not being overconfident, I'm being realistic. There's a distinct difference." Jun answered. "You don't know what Yumi has made us all capable of; **I** do. She's taken us all to levels we never even dreamed of, brought us out from every social hole imaginable. We have what it takes to win, and even better than that..."

"...you all enjoy it. Right?" Fuji finished.

"See for yourself." Jun said. Everyone turned their attention back to the field. All the girls on the field, while being completely serious, were smiling as they dominated the boys. They were just in time to see that a midfielder kicked the ball across the net. Yumi was forced out of the way by two boys, but still twisted in the air to kick the ball crossing over to her and scored a goal right between the legs of the players. She then flipped over to land neatly in a crouch on the ground.

Eiji whistled. "It took me forever to learn how to recover from a dive like that!"

After the next goal, Yumi turned to face Jun and waved. Jun called for a player change. Yumi turned to rake her gaze over the field. She went over to the bench and after a quick conversation with Jun they changed some players around on the field, although left the twins and Ieris and Cari in their positions. She had Alison take over in net and sent Rhea up to midfield to replace Ashley, switching out Megan and putting in Nzinga instead. But Yumi's position hadn't been filled yet. Then she turned to Deanna, who had been sitting out the entire time. Grinning, Yumi held out a hand.

Deanna took it with a bit of surprise, letting Yumi pull her up off the bench. -A-Are you sure Yumi?- She asked.

Yumi clapped her on the shoulder and plopped down on the bench in the recently vacated spot. -Think of it this way: you're continuing in a game that you should have played in. Just watch out for foul play this time.-

Grinning, Deanna nodded and ran up to take the place of center forward. She looked almost evilly at the boy who had made her sprain her ankle. -You made me miss almost a week of soccer practice so I'd be ready to play in this tournament.- She said grimly. -Now you'll regret it, because I've got full permission from Yumi to not hold anything back.-

-You sure you don't want to save the Black Widow strategy for the finals?- Jun asked Yumi.

-It isn't going to be a problem if they know about it, is it?- Yumi replied, raising an eyebrow at their strategist.

-No; we just won't have the element of surprise like we did against Seigaku.- Jun answered.

-Just because they saw us enter our berserk modes doesn't mean they've seen us at our best. That changes depending on the other team.- Yumi said. -They'll never get all the data on us; it's impossible, because not even we know what we'll do sometimes.-

Jun smiled and chuckled. -That's true.-

And so the whistle blew three long, shrill times to signal the end of the game, and the score was announced as 11-3 for Red Hill. By the end of the day, they had also defeated Hyoutei, the tournament champions, 8-2.

As the final tournament award ceremony ended, and the girls returned their bags to the van and boarded the bus to return them to the hotel, Yumi found herself surrounded by tennis players. Ieris and Cari had chosen to stay out of the mob, remaining on the outskirts. Eiji was pouting as he said "You don't even get a trophy, nyaaaa...!"

Yumi sighed, and for the fifth time said "Eiji, we don't need trophies to know that we beat all the boys here." She smirked. "Our team manager, Mrs. White, recorded every game. That's proof enough."

"I didn't even notice she wasn't at the bench with you." Oishi commented.

"Yup...well boys, what do you think about my team?" Yumi asked.

"You're crazy-awesome." Momoshiro deadpanned. "What else can we say?"

"I wasn't expecting anything long and complicated, so that's fine." Yumi said with a shrug. "We all worked hard to get to where we are now. Thanks for showing up and supporting us."

"It was worth it." Atobe said. "Will you still be practicing at schools, or do you leave Japan soon?"

_He had to bring that up...I really don't want to leave..._ Yumi put on a cheery smile. "Nope, we've got another full week and a bit! We're playing in the girl's division next weekend, and then we've got a day to relax before going back to America."

"We look forward to seeing you again at school." Tachibana said. Then Rikkaidai said their farewells and left.

"We should get going as well. See you later, Yumi." Yukimura smiled and Rikkaidai also left the park.

"You won't have any problems with the tennis club next time you practice at Hyoutei." Atobe declared. "So kindly keep your bike away from the courts."

"I forgot all about that problem!" Yumi laughed lightly. "Sure thing, Atobe, since you asked so nicely. Oh, and Oshitari, Jun wanted to speak with you."

"Thanks." Oshitari left, and the rest of Hyoutei did so as well. Most went with Atobe since his limo was driving them home.

Once they were all gone, all that was left were the tennis Regulars from Seigaku and the three girls. "Yumi, if anyone gives you any trouble at school tomorrow, make sure you tell us." Oishi said sternly.

"I will...but it may not do anything." Yumi replied, for once sounding unsure.

"If you have to, Yumi, then leave." Tezuka instructed. "Don't get in trouble within your short time here. It's not worth it."

"I'll try." Yumi promised quietly. "C'mon Ieris, Cari, let's go home. See you guys later!" She waved back to them as she left.

"Yumi..."

"Yeah Ieris?" Yumi asked, looking at the curly blond haired girl.

"I won't be going back to the house right away after school." Ieris said. "I...sort of asked Fuji to help with the whole problem at school, and as a return favour I'm going out with him tomorrow. It's for some photo competition he's entering, and wants me to pose for."

"Well good for you, I'm glad you finally found a guy you don't want to kick into the trash." Yumi said, smiling brightly.

"Yumi! I seriously might end up liking him!" Ieris protested. "What'll I do then?!"

Yumi sighed, and stopped walking for a moment to place a hand on Ieris's shoulder. Smiling warmly, she said quietly "You'll do whatever your heart tells you to. That's what happens when you like someone." She squeezed her shoulder encouragingly. "It will be good for you, Ieris; you've got to open up sometime. Not every guy is going to do what George did to you."

"...Ok." Ieris said quietly. "Do you...think that Fuji..."

"From what Kunimitsu told me, he's got a good heart. Even if he is a bit sadistic and sly at times." Yumi said with a smile. "But he's never been the type to lead a girl on."

"I'm sure everything will have a way of working out." Cari spoke up.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will." Ieris muttered, smiling. Then her smile turned sly. "So Cari, what about you and your guy?"

"I-I don't have a crush on Eiji!" Cari stammered.

"I never said anything about Eiji..." Aya said, quirking an eyebrow and smiling.

"I don't!" Cari insisted, blushing cutely and waving her hands in denial.

"Hm, now why do I not believe that...?" Ieris drawled. "Hey, let's make a deal. If I do end up liking Fuji and I tell him, you've got to tell Eiji."

"O-Okay...I might never tell him otherwise..." Cari said sheepishly. She suddenly got an idea. "Oh! But Yumi, if this happens for us, then you've got to ask Tezuka out."

"No problem there, I've done it plenty of times already." Yumi said, shrugging.

"No, Cari means you've got to ask him to be your boyfriend; make it official." Ieris said. "You in or not, Yumi?"

"...Well, sure, why not? I've got nothing to lose!" Yumi said with a grin. _Or at least, I hope not._

"Good. Then it's set." Ieris said, as the three continued walking down the street. "But if Eiji teases you, Cari, I'll kick him into a trash can and tie it to the back of a car and let it drive away, dragging him down the street." She crossed her arms since she lacked pockets in her soccer shorts. "After all, Yumi and I are the only ones allowed to tease you."

"Just like Yumi and I are the only ones allowed to joke about you?" Cari quipped.

"Yeah, and just like you and Ieris are the only ones allowed to know all my best secrets!" Yumi said, laughing. "Except Kunimitsu, of course. Ah, I hope you're right about school tomorrow..." She stared up at the sunset before them wistfully.

"We are; quit worrying." Ieris and Cari said, smiling.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 15**

"Morning Tsukiyama-senpai!"

"Hey there Tsukiyama-chan!"

"Uh...hey. What's up?" Yumi asked the students who passed her cheerfully in the halls.

"Nothing much now; how was the tournament?" They asked in return.

"Good..." Yumi replied, as she carried on down the hall. She gazed around with a bit of unease at the cheerful faces that passed her and the students who no longer tried to run into her but moved around her instead. "So...that's it? Everyone's forgotten about the rumours just like that?" She asked Ieris and Cari.

"I think so..." Cari answered.

"Weird..." Yumi muttered.

"No; effective." Ieris corrected.

"I'll go with that." Yumi turned to enter her classroom. Three girls in it looked up and glared, but that was it. Her unease vanished almost immediately and she smiled cheerfully. _Looks like everything's back to normal. Those three still hate me._ Sitting down, she looked over her shoulder when someone tapped it. "Yeah, what's up?" She asked Eiji.

"We've got a tennis match against Hyoutei this afternoon!" Eiji said excitedly. "Are you going to watch?"

"I can't; I've got practice." Yumi said in disappointment. "But it's at Seigaku! So I'll do what I can!"

"Tezuka will be playing! I bet you'll like what you see!" Eiji said.

"...Excuse me?" Yumi gave him a look.

"...Eh?...AH! I just meant that you'll enjoy watching him play!" Eiji hastened to add. "You haven't seen him for years, right? He's changed a lot in tennis!"

Yumi laughed. "I was just messing with you, Eiji! I know what you meant."

"You look cheerful as usual." Fuji commented, sitting down at his desk.

"Why shouldn't I be? Everything's working out just fine!" Yumi replied.

_Well..._ Fuji thought. _I can think of two reasons off the top of my head. She has to leave in a week back to America, for one. And she also hasn't discussed with Tezuka how she really feels about him._

"So I hear Ieris is hanging out with you after practice." Yumi said mischievously. "Have fun."

"I'm sure we will. She's actually a very nice girl once you get to know her." Fuji replied.

_And that's precisely why I want things to work out between you two._ Yumi thought. _You're one of the only guys who she's let 'get to know her'. You...and George..._ Her thoughts became darker at the second name. She quickly wiped the frown off her face though, before it could be questioned. It wasn't her story to tell to Fuji.

"Cari and I are going to get some ice cream after practice!" Eiji informed them. "Want to come along, Yumi?"

"No, I'm busy after practice." Yumi said quickly. _I'll let Cari have some alone time with Eiji._

"Doing what?" Eiji asked curiously. Luckily the teacher came in, so Yumi didn't have to scrounge around for an answer.

* * *

As Yumi walked out alongside the school towards the front gates to meet the team, she paused for a moment to check her watch. Her eyes widened as suddenly a pile of water splashed down right in front of her, barely missing her. "...That was close." She started to look up and see what caused the water to cascade down like that when she was tackled backwards away from the water puddle on the ground.

Two grunts sounded as the person who had tackled her landed heavily on top of Yumi. She opened closed eyes to see a familiar black haired boy, his white cap having fallen off in the collision. "...Ryoma?" She asked in confusion. "What was that for?"

"If you didn't move, then you would've been hit." Ryoma muttered, looking over his shoulder. Yumi followed his gaze to see a bucket lying on the ground, probably where the water had come from.

"Uh...thanks..." Yumi said, stunned. This was a little too extreme for a practical joke. That large bucket could have put her out of commission for the rest of her time in Japan, with the height it had fallen from. The water she could handle, but a hit to the head like that...not so much. She started to sit up and grunted a bit. "You're heavier than you look, Ryoma...and you're pretty strong for such a little guy..."

"Sorry, Yumi-senpai." He got up quickly. Checking his watch, he exclaimed "Shoot, I'm going to be late! Watch your back, Yumi-senpai!" He ran off without even bothering to help her up.

Yumi got up and dusted her clothes off with a sigh. Looking up and squinting a bit against the sun, she saw an open window, but anyone who may have been there was long gone by now. _Watch my back...yeah..._ She glared darkly at the window. _They'd better pray to god that I don't find out whoever did that..._

She resumed her trip to meet the soccer team, and proceeded onto the field in near-silence. The girls sensed something was wrong, but their practice wasn't compromised from it in any way. Yumi's shots were just more powerful than normal. Ieris approached Yumi and asked quietly "What happened?"

"...Don't really know." Yumi replied in clipped speech. "I couldn't see who did it."

"Tell me once you know; they won't get away with it." Ieris said darkly.

"I will." Yumi said, turning away. The practice ended without her saying much else. She was the first one out of the change room, and started to leave since Ieris and Cari were going on their 'dates'. She turned at the school gates and continued on down the street, her soccer bag and uniform already in the van leaving her in her school uniform with her schoolbag. She had opted to not ride her bike this day.

Approaching the next corner, she stopped as around it came three people she did not want to see right after the tournament. She gazed steadily at the three girls from her class that had first confronted her about Tezuka. "...What do you want?" She asked, as it became clear they were there to see her since they didn't continue walking.

"I think you can guess that. But even if we ask you won't do it, right?" The first girl asked coldly.

"I think you can guess that." Yumi replied evenly, crossing her arms.

"Don't mock us! You don't have any of your friends here to help you now." The second girl sneered.

"They only helped me with the rumour. I've stood up to you on my own just fine." Yumi retorted.

"You're forgetting how they helped you dodge that bucket of water." The third girl pointed out. "That rumour we started was just a taste of what we can do. So just be a good girl and play soccer like you came here to do, and go back to America when you're done. Tezuka will never like you anyways; you're too far apart."

"_Tezuka will never like you anyways; __**you're too far apart**__."_

Yumi's fists clenched as her arms lowered to her sides. "...So you three **are** the ones who've been starting everything. Well, you don't have to worry." She glared coldly at them, her eyes flashing murderous red, and smirked. "I'm stopping this jealous grudge right here, right now." She threw her bag off to the side and cracked her knuckles. "I wonder if you like feeling pain as much as you love causing it?"

* * *

"Game and Match, Tezuka, 7-6!" Oishi called out.

Tezuka sighed and wiped the sweat off his brow. He went up to the net to shake hands with Atobe, who had been his opponent. "Good match." He said. "You played well."

"Same goes for you." Atobe replied, smirking.

Tezuka went into the change rooms with the others, choosing to take advantage of the opportunity for them to use the gym change rooms that had showers. The team only ever got to use them if another team was visiting for a match. After all, who wants to leave on a bus all sweaty and hot?

"So Tezuka..." Fuji started casually. "Any plans with Yumi tonight?"

"No. We made no arrangements." He replied stiffly.

"Too bad; Ieris and Cari won't be home right away, so I thought she might ask you to keep her company." Fuji commented.

Tezuka perked up a bit. "Why are they not going home with Yumi?"

"Ieris is helping me with a photo competition and Eiji's taking Cari out for ice cream." Fuji answered.

Tezuka dried off from his shower and started dressing. "Yumi cares for her friends; she'd hate to get in the way of anything." He did up the last button on his white shirt and was about to hoist his bag over his shoulder when he froze. He got the strangest feeling...

"Tezuka? What's wrong?" Fuji asked, noticing his odd behaviour.

He received no answer as Tezuka dropped his bag and bolted out of the change rooms, the door slamming shut behind him.

"What happened?" Oishi and a few others demanded immediately.

"Something important, I would say." Oshitari commented from where he was sitting on a bench tying his shoes. "He was obviously worried."

* * *

Yumi growled as she leapt at one of the three girls. The second one grabbed her arm before she could punch and the third moved to grab her from behind. Before the first could hit her instead, Yumi grabbed the girl behind her as a support as she swung her legs up to kick two of them away, letting the third fall back with the sudden extra weight.

Standing quickly, Yumi grabbed one of the girls and hoisted her up to her face. "You think the whole world's going to bow down to you just because you have a pretty face?" She demanded angrily. "You can't get everything you want! No one ever can!" Her shoulders were shaking as she spoke. The girl in her grip trembled as well, but in fear.

"YUMI!!"

Looking behind her down the street, Yumi gazed with narrowed eyes at the figure rapidly coming closer. "...What is it, Kunimitsu?" She asked coolly, the fist that was pulled back ready to be thrown lowering down to her side. "I'm a little busy!"

"Yumi, you have to try and calm down." Tezuka spoke calmly, although inside his heart was hammering. He'd never seen Yumi so enraged before, so violent and out of control. "Think about what you're doing. Violence won't solve anything." He said, hoping she would see reason.

"I'll feel a whole lot better though. They had this lesson coming to them sooner or later." Yumi replied, turning back to the girl in front of her that she still held up by the collar of her blouse.

"Yumi, don't do it." Tezuka warned, stepping forwards quickly to grab her wrist before she could raise her fist again. "Listen to me, Yumi!" He said firmly, his voice increasing in volume slightly. "Control yourself!"

Taking a deep breath, Yumi sighed and let the girl go. She and her friends hurriedly ran off. Picking up her bag, with a sudden cry of rage Yumi threw it hard at the ground. It bounced a bit, making a satisfying thwack on the cement. She then crumpled down to her knees beside it, breathing heavily and shaking as the emotion she was felt had to find an alternative means of release.

Tezuka knelt down beside her and wrapped his arms around her gently. "Just calm down...you have to control your breathing Yumi or you'll hyperventilate..." He rubbed her back soothingly. "That's it..." He helped Yumi up and let her lean heavily on him, keeping an arm around her waist to hold her relatively upright. Grabbing her bag from her, he led her slowly back into the school grounds. Luckily they weren't very far.

"Tezuka! What happened?!" Came the frenzied greeting upon his return into the schoolyard.

Teuzka waved the tennis players from Seigaku aside, continuing on to the change room. He gently released Yumi so she could sit on a bench as he hurried inside to grab his forgotten tennis bag. As he exited he saw Hyoutei had waited to see what was wrong as well. Bowing to them, he said "I apologize for leaving before we could see you off."

"It's alright." Atobe said. Glancing at Yumi sitting on the bench, head bowed and shaking, he added quietly "It looks like it was important. We'll see you again, anyways." He gestured to his team and they all moved towards the waiting bus.

Tezuka was left to ponder the double meaning he'd felt Atobe's last words had as he returned to Yumi. _He's right; he'll see us again soon. But Yumi...it could be years before we see each other again..._ The realization hit him as quickly as the feeling of something being terribly wrong had when he was in the change room. _Could that be bothering Yumi?_

Shifting his tennis bag to the edge of his shoulder, Tezuka crouched down with his back to Yumi. "Come on. Let's get you home, Yumi." He said quietly. He felt her shift and climb onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck loosely and slouching down limply against him. Tezuka stood and hooked his arms around her legs to keep her held up on his back and walked out of the schoolyard. Yumi didn't seem to mind that she was sharing a bit of his back space with his tennis bag and that he still had her schoolbag.

"Tezuka..." Oishi trailed off at the look the captain gave him as he passed the team by.

"...I don't think now's the time to ask him anything." Kawamura said wisely. "But Ieris and Cari may know something about what happened."

"Too bad they aren't here." Momoshiro said.

"They left with Fuji and Eiji shortly after Tezuka left in such a hurry." Inui said. "I think I have to rewrite my theory on Tezuka and his relationship with Yumi, though."

"Why do you say that?" Momoshiro asked.

"He carried her out of the school and down the street, with all of us and Hyoutei watching. I'd say that's more than just a hint at something." Inui said, pulling out his notebook.

Meanwhile, Tezuka walked down the sidewalk that was clear of pedestrians along the quiet neighbourhood streets. He noted with some relief that Yumi had stopped shaking. Her breathing, however, had become erratic again as he felt moisture through his thin white shirt against his shoulder.

"Yumi...?" He asked softly.

"...I guess it just became too much." She said, even softer than he did. The only reason he could hear it even over his own soft footsteps was because she was right by his ear.

"Tournaments are stressful times." Tezuka answered. "You just have a habit of holding your stress and true feelings inside and not letting them out. So when anything—even something minor—happens right after a tournament, your nerves snap and you lose control. In your case, you have anger issues to make it worse."

"I didn't luck out there, did I?" Yumi asked ruefully, not raising her face from where it was buried into his shoulder.

"I think you're luckier than some others who have control issues." Tezuka replied. "You have someone to help you calm down."

"...How did I find a guy like you, anyways?" Yumi muttered. "How did I manage to find the one person who can always calm me down?"

"I believe you were in the park practicing soccer for the first time and you hit me with the ball." Tezuka answered wryly. "And things just went from there."

"Heh..." Yumi cracked a smile. Lifting her head a bit, she gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "You're so sweet." She dropped her head back to his shoulder, closing her eyes. "...And don't give me that look. You know it's true."

The corners of Tezuka's mouth twitched upwards in a smile as he continued to walk.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 16**

Time passed by quickly. Yumi had no more problems in school with any of the students. The three girls she had nearly assaulted didn't show up to class for the whole week. It was whispered for the first few days among the students that they had been expelled. Apparently some students had secretly confessed to witnessing them target and try and injure a student. That had led to suspicion about the stolen money from the girls change room that had been blamed on Aya before, and the money had been discovered in the girls' possession.

Soccer practice continued as usual; sometimes Yumi exchanged a few words with the tennis teams that were practicing at the same schools they were. She had gotten quite friendly with Choutarou from Hyoutei, and Oshitari as well because of his closeness with Jun. Atobe she was on neutral ground with, neither of them carrying any grudge on each other. Yukimura from Rikkaidai had become good friends with Yumi as well, and they often talked about training or past experiences in games.

All of the Seigaku Regulars had made it into Yumi's list of good friends. She was often found with some of them at any point in time, be it at a burger joint, a pet store, on the streets or in class. Ieris had spent an afternoon with Fuji more than just once, as had Cari with Eiji. Yumi spent as much time with Tezuka as she could. She wasn't trying to cling onto him or anything; she was just working on a limited timeframe. Their friends tried to give them time on their own as much as possible knowing the time they had together was drawing to a close.

It was the morning of the National tournament for the girls division. Red Hill showed up in high spirits. Jun warned them not to be overconfident, though; the boys had been caught off guard and underestimated a female team. The same wouldn't happen with the girls, who knew not to take them lightly.

As they warmed up for their game, Ieris started a conversation between her, Cari, and Yumi. "Hey...I told him."

The two looked at her in confusion, then at each other to see if they knew what Ieris was talking about. Suddenly, Cari blushed profusely. "I-I c-can't tell him before the tournament!" She protested feebly. Ieris just smirked.

Yumi realized soon after seeing Cari's blush. "Ieris, you told Fuji you liked him?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I did." Ieris said, shrugging. "You were right when you said I can't let some bad experience with boys in the past affect my future. He knows about George by the way; somehow it just slipped out."

"Was he ok with it?" Yumi asked worriedly.

"Peachy. But if they ever meet each other, we'll have trouble." Ieris smiled, a tender look entering her eyes.

"And he's ok with us leaving soon?" Cari asked.

Ieris nodded. "We've found a way to deal with it. And don't worry Cari, you don't have to tell Eiji you like him until after the tournament."

"Thanks..." Cari said in relief. "But..." Her brown eyes turned to Yumi, twinkling a bit in mischievousness. "Yumi, this means you have to tell Tezuka."

"...Crap." Yumi muttered. "I really don't know how he'll react...I mean, I don't want to leave Japan on a bad note with him..."

"You'll be fine, both of you." Ieris said, waving a hand.

"Ok..." Cari took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "After the tournament! I'll tell Eiji for sure!" She declared firmly.

"Our shy girl's growing up!" Yumi joked with Ieris, making Cari flush a bit. "But enough teasing each other; let's go play some soccer! We're facing all the teams who make it to the semi-finals and the finals!"

* * *

"Look at the girls play." Fuji commented to Tezuka, as the Seigaku Regulars sat to watch the game between Red Hill and the winner of the girls tournament. "Don't they seem happier than usual?"

Tezuka nodded in agreement; the girls did seem to have an aura of happiness around them, even as they played in their berserk modes.

"They must be glad that they can face so many strong teams." Oishi suggested.

"Or glad to go home after this tournament." Momoshiro offered. Warning looks from everyone made him laugh nervously and add "Actually, what you said must be it, Oishi. Soccer for them is like tennis to us, right?"

Fuji and Tezuka nodded, and Momoshiro gave an inaudible sigh of relief at having saved himself.

The final whistle blew, Red Hill taking the victory with a two goal lead. This game had been a fairly close one. -Now that's what we're talking about!- Yumi cheered, as the team performed a bunch of high fives. The girls ran back to those resting on the bench and cheered with them as well. -And don't forget our tactician, let's hear it for Jun!- Yumi called out, and the voices of the girls joined in her cheers.

"Alright, wait to go!" Eiji called down from where the Regulars were. His happy look turned to one of confusion as he saw Cari make her way over to him. The lavender haired girl gestured for him to lean down, and he did. She whispered something in his ear and his eyes widened as he blushed. Then the happy look came back to his face and he shouted "Yahoi!" Turning to Cari, he said quietly "I like you too nya!" And he gave her a huge hug.

Cari blushed, and her teammates could quickly tell what had just transpired. They whistled and cheered for their shyest member.

Ieris glanced at Yumi, who sighed and nodded in return. _I know, I know...my turn next..._

* * *

"Tezuka, you want to go out somewhere after school today?" Yumi asked cheerfully the next morning.

"Sorry, Yumi." Tezuka replied. "But something's already been planned; will you come to the tennis courts after school today?"

_That's weird, they don't have practice today..._ Yumi thought. Nevertheless, she smiled and nodded. "Sure I can come. Today's our last full day here, after all; no practice. We leave tomorrow morning."

"Good; I'll see you there then." Tezuka nodded to her and left hurriedly.

_...That wasn't just weird, it was abnormal._ Yumi mused as she went to class. _There goes my initial plan of telling him I like him after school. Well, but...maybe it isn't completely shot. I don't know what he's got planned, so you never know..._

School passed by quickly, and Yumi checked her desk for anything she had forgotten to place in her schoolbag. _Alright, I have everything...good. I don't want to leave anything at school; there's no chance for me to come back and get it tomorrow morning._ Sighing, she stood and prepared to leave. "Here we go..."

She made her way to the tennis courts. Momoshiro met her along the way. "Sorry Yumi-senpai, but I'm going to have to blindfold you from here on forward!" He grinned and held up a blindfold. Blinking, he asked "What's with that look?"

Yumi's eyebrow twitched as she crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing in a cross between a grimace and a frown. "...Excuse me? I don't think I heard you right." She said darkly.

"Uh...er...please...?" Momoshiro backed off a bit nervously. Yumi's look was unrelenting.

"I thought this would happen."

"Tezuka-buchou!" Momoshiro moved to the side as Tezuka took the blindfold from him.

"Please, Yumi." Tezuka said delicately, holding it out. He smiled a bit when Yumi noticeably pouted in defeat. "You can trust us."

"I know, I know." Yumi said with a sigh, letting him tie the blindfold over her eyes. "I trust you guys; I've just never been one for this stuff. Lead the way." She held out her hands expectantly, and he grabbed them and pulled her along.

"She's fine if you do it but not me...?" Momoshiro grumbled, following along.

"Kunimitsu's never refused me anything within reason." Yumi said with a shrug. "But it actually works the other way around, too. Don't feel too bad about it."

"We're here." Tezuka announced. He removed the blindfold on Yumi.

"SURPRISE!!"

Yumi blinked and stared around. The tennis courts had some tables set up with drinks and food, and there were large banners that said various things such as 'congratulations', 'best wishes Red Hill!' and the real heart-stopper for her: 'farewell'.

Gathered around were the tennis team and her soccer team. Yumi looked around at their cheerful faces and couldn't help but smile despite her inner heartache. She truly did not want to leave, not with the way things were with Tezuka, unsettled and unsure. "Wow...I'm surprised alright..." Yumi grinned and called out to her team -Hey, who called the party?-

-They invited us for a going-away/congratulations party!- Lucy and Lacy replied.

-Well then let's party! Cheers to another tournament won and more teams faced!- Yumi called out, pumping her fist into the air. The girls followed suit. "And thanks to everyone for hosting this! Hope to play in Japan again someday!"

And so the party started. Momoshiro and Kaidoh started a fight over the last cup of fruit punch, bringing free entertainment for the girls even though they couldn't understand all that was said. The fight stopped when they heard a slurping sound, and the two looked to see that Alison had taken the cup while they weren't looking. Lucy and Lacy held up cups of orange juice for them which solved the problem.

Then Eiji broke out into a random song, and the girls repeated the chorus that was in English. Fuji remained with Ieris off to the side, for the aloof girl had no desire to join in the craziness. Cari was smiling and clapping along to the song, giggling and helping Eiji up when he fell off the tables into some chairs. Yumi was in the middle of the throng of her team, laughing and nudging and joking. They had much cause for celebration; they won against all the teams in both tournaments, flawlessly. They'd be going home soon.

Tezuka knew that Yumi wasn't being completely truthful in her feelings. Yes, he was sure she was happy for her team's well-played soccer games. And she must miss her family at home, traveling as much as she did on the soccer team. _But...she doesn't seem happy. Something's wrong with her; she doesn't quite know what to feel._

He remained to the side of the proceedings, carefully observing Yumi with a sharp eye. For the life of him, he didn't know what she was so torn over; did she not want to leave? It didn't make sense. She didn't have any troubles at her real school as far as he knew. There wasn't anything bad to go back to that she didn't get in Japan. The question came back again: did she not want to leave? Why? Nothing kept her in Japan.

_Are you sure there's nothing here?_ A little voice in the back of his mind asked.

Tezuka shook his head slightly to clear it. He suddenly found himself bombarded by memories. He remembered it wasn't in the park playing soccer that he had first seen Yumi. He'd seen here there multiple times before, when he had been practicing tennis or reading a book. One week she was playing badminton; the next, it was basketball. That had lasted a few days before she moved on to volleyball. And she never stuck with one sport. He saw her play tennis the longest, and had thought and hoped she'd stick with it. From the looks of her rapid progress in it, she'd become a great practice partner.

But it didn't last. She moved on to soccer, and he couldn't do anything to make it sound nicer; she was **terrible** at it. The first time she had kicked she had no aim whatsoever, and she couldn't keep it up off the ground with more than two hits before it fell. She had tried to aim through two widely spread trees once, and that was when it happened. Yumi's younger self's horrible aim caused the ball to hit Tezuka as a child. She had run over in a panic to see if he was alright, which he was; her kicks weren't that strong at the time either. And he had told her, quite bluntly, _"Why don't you go back to tennis? You seemed to like it the most out of everything. Soccer obviously isn't your thing."_

And little Yumi had just grinned, and said _"Then it's settled; I'm going to become a soccer player!"_ At that time Tezuka didn't understand her logic, and sometimes he still didn't. She chose soccer because it was the one thing she wasn't good at. And after a few months of continuous practice, she did get better; much better. Then they wound up face to face in elementary school. _"My name's Tsukiyama Yumi."_ She introduced herself with a huge smile. _"Thanks for helping me out!"_

"_Tezuka Kunimitsu. And I didn't do anything." _ He had answered in confusion. She just smiled and sat down next to him to eat lunch together. From that day forward, they constantly hung out with each other. Yumi helped Tezuka in tennis, claiming it would become her hobby. Tezuka offered to play some soccer with her, but she just laughed it off, saying that he'd done plenty as it was for her. Soon their families met and became close, helping the two children to become even closer.

But then she had moved. And Yumi was going to leave again. What was it that she had found so hard to leave behind in Japan the first time? If only he could figure that out, then Tezuka might know what made her so happy to come back, and so depressed to leave.

* * *

The party came to its close, and the girls filed on the bus to go back to the hotel. Ieris and Cari waited by the school gates with Mr. and Mrs. Minamoto. Yumi pulled Tezuka off to the side. "Kunimitsu, before I go there's something I have to do. So do me a favour and close your eyes." She said sternly.

"...Alright." Tezuka obediently closed his eyes behind his glasses. He'd just have to trust her like she did with him and the blindfold. "Tell me when I can-" He froze and couldn't say anything more when he felt Yumi lean up and kiss him softly, wrapping her arms around his neck. His eyes shot open and he stared down at her in shock.

Yumi pulled back from his lips only to lean in by his ear. Whispering very softly, she said "I love you, Kunimitsu. You're the reason why I hated leaving." Pulling away, she flashed him a smile before sprinting off to the waiting car.

Tezuka stared after it as Mr. Minamoto drove away, the girls in the back of the car. _Me...? But...why me?_ He thought, his thoughts in absolute disarray. _"I love you, Kunimitsu. You're the reason I hated leaving."_ He just couldn't seem to get his body to do anything as he stood there stunned. What do you say to that? What do you do in response to that? No one had done that to him before...

"Tezuka, are you just going to stand there and stare at an empty street?" Fuji asked, raising an eyebrow. "Shouldn't you go after her?" He asked sharply, cerulean eyes staring Tezuka down with a bit of coldness. _I can't believe he just let her go like that; Yumi must be feeling incredibly rejected._

Tezuka looked at his teammate with a bit of apprehension. "And do what?" He asked quietly, a bit lost. "I have no idea what I should do, Fuji; a girl I've been close to since childhood has just told me she loves me...I've never had that happen before." He said. Sure girls had told him they liked him before, but Yumi wasn't dealing with a simple crush. Yumi actually meant it in a way that no one else did.

The sharp look in Fuji's eyes immediately softened. "Well...I guess you're lucky that the others didn't notice what happened; they were too busy fighting over the last snacks." He said quietly. Noticing Tezuka pale a bit at the thought that the Regulars had seen it (for they both knew that it would be extremely bad and embarrassing if they had), Fuji said reassuringly "Only myself, Eiji, Oishi, and Ryuzaki-sensei saw."

Sighing, Tezuka brought a hand up to rub at his temples, his fingers trailing along his lips on the way. "Do you love her?" He heard Fuji ask him. "Wait; let's try another approach: when she told you, how did you feel?" Fuji corrected.

"...I felt...shocked. But I was...happy." Tezuka replied honestly.

"Did you feel like holding her, or kissing her back?" Fuji asked, crossing his arms.

"...Yes." He admitted reluctantly.

"Well then Tezuka, you love her. You should tell her before she leaves tomorrow." Fuji said with a smile, patting his friend on the shoulder.

* * *

That night the Minamotos took the girls out for a goodbye dinner, but it was extremely quiet. Yumi's Aunt and Uncle could sense something was wrong, and so when they came back home they quietly retired into the living room and let the girls slip off to the guest bedrooms for some privacy. Yumi lay down on her bed, Ieris sat backwards on a desk chair, and Cari sat on the edge of the bed. "...You told him; do you regret it now?" Ieris asked finally.

"No..." Yumi replied quietly, smiling sadly. "I had to tell him; I just hope he'll still keep in touch with me when we go back."

"He's probably just surprised." Cari assured her friend.

"So surprised he hasn't even phoned?" Yumi asked, staring up at the ceiling. "At least to tell me he doesn't feel the same?"

"He feels the same; how can he not?" Ieris said firmly. "It's obvious even to his friends that he likes you back, and he must have at least a vague idea that he does."

"Otherwise he wouldn't have put up with you as long as he did." Cari giggled, trying to lighten the mood. It seemed to have the opposite effect, for now Yumi looked like she was worrying about just being a burden to the tennis player. "Look, Yumi, this isn't like you, getting so worked up. No matter what happens, you'll still be best friends, right?"

"...Right..." Yumi closed her eyes. "Well, my instincts haven't steered me wrong yet, and neither have you two. Now it's just up to Kunimitsu..." She sighed in resignation.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 17**

At Seigaku, it was peaceful as usual. The tennis players were gathering for morning practice, slowly coming out of the change room. Tezuka came out in his Regulars uniform, only he didn't wear the track pants over his shorts. The jacket he had draped over his shoulders to keep out the morning chill. The Regulars gathered around him as usual in the courts, waiting for instructions to be given.

"So what did you tell her?" Oishi asked Tezuka quietly.

"Nothing..." Tezuka said with a sigh. "I phoned last night, but no one was home; I think they went out for dinner. Then I just didn't call back..."

"I severely hope that I didn't just hear what I thought I did." Fuji said from behind them.

Tezuka turned and found he just couldn't meet the look in the tensai's blue eyes. Eiji popped up to break the tension. "Hoi hoi! What's with the scary face, Fuji?" He asked curiously.

"He didn't tell her _anything_." Fuji replied icily.

"Well it's not too late yet!" Eiji declared. "Ryuzaki-sensei, over here!!" He ran up to her and started whispering to her fervently.

Ryuzaki nodded and ran off. A few moments later her car drove up to the front gate. "Oishi, Fuji, you two are in charge!!" She bellowed.

"Go, Tezuka, don't waste any time, they'll be at the airport soon!" Fuji said, not missing a beat. He, Eiji, and Oishi promptly pushed Tezuka into the waiting vehicle that sped off. Sighing, Fuji smiled brightly. "Good work, Eiji. I was just about to snap."

"I know..." Eiji shuddered.

"Well, we can't help him with everything. Now it's up to him." Oishi said, sighing and scratching his head. "In the meantime, let's get this practice started."

* * *

Yumi held her plane ticket in one hand, her soccer bag slung over her shoulder and her luggage bag in her other hand. "Well, all that's left is to get on the plane..." She pulled her cell phone and flipped it open, checking for any messages. It was the fifth time she'd done that and it was fruitless as usual. If there had been an incoming call or a text message then she'd hear the tone and feel it vibrate in her pocket.

Sighing inaudibly, she trekked along behind the soccer team. _Well what do you expect, Yumi?_ She scolded herself. _It isn't like the time you gave him no warning about being in Japan, or when you suddenly showed up behind him in Seigaku, where in a few minutes he recovered from the shock. This takes a little more time to sort out._ Her hand came up to fiddle with her lock necklace.

Turning away, she was about to walk out of the terminal when she heard someone call her name. Looking back, the bags she carried dropped to the floor. For once it was her turn to be surprised by someone else's forward actions. Tezuka ran up and hugged her to him tightly, burying his face in her dark blue hair. "Kunimitsu...?" She asked in surprise. "Don't you have tennis practice? And school?"

"For once, they aren't my top priority." He replied quietly. "I had something more important to tell you before you left, Yumi. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, but I do love you."

Yumi blinked, and tears welled up in her eyes. "...This is the third time you've made me cry in happiness in two weeks." She said, her voice cracking a bit. "I really hope you don't start making a habit of this; I won't be able to take the emotional strain."

"Sorry...but I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I just let you walk away without saying anything." Tezuka said sincerely.

"I don't know when I'll be back..." Yumi said worriedly.

"I know." He replied calmly. "We'll keep in touch."

"We both are aiming for completely different sports. They both will make us travel around a lot." She said.

"We'll manage. Haven't we always?" Tezuka asked, feeling her nod against his chest. He heard an announcement for a flight that caused Yumi to shift in his arms. "That must be yours." He finally released Yumi from his embrace and draped his Regulars jacket over her shoulders. "Keep that for me until we meet again...Good-"

"Oh don't you dare say goodbye!" Yumi exclaimed. She slipped her arms into the long sleeves of the jacket and rolled them up since it was too large for her. Grabbing her bags up from the ground, she grinned at him, eyes wiped dry of tears. "You said it yourself; we'll be seeing each other again. So it's see you later!"

Tezuka smiled at her and nodded. "Yeah...see you later, Yumi." He bent down and gave her a lingering kiss on the lips. "Take care."

"You too." Yumi waved and turned away, walking off to join the rest of her team on the plane. Tezuka turned and went back to where Ryuzaki was waiting for him, so they could get back to school.

With satisfied spirits on both ends, they parted ways, but it wouldn't be for good. They knew that they'd see each other again one day. Maybe, next time, they wouldn't have to part ways again.

* * *

_Years later…_

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for the people sitting inside a large open dome watching a heated tennis match play out. Tezuka sighed and wiped the sweat of his forehead as he moved to his resting bench during a brief break. He'd come so far in the last few years…

After Yumi left again, he had completed high school and graduated to go to university with both sports and academic scholarships backing him up. He had been scouted numerous times back in school during tennis matches, and had finally made it into the professional leagues. This would be his first professional tournament, and he was currently in the finals. Vaguely he wondered how all his old friends were doing, what careers they had chosen. Knowing he had their support even if they weren't there, just like he had at school, Tezuka wiped his mind clean of thought so he could once again concentrate on the match.

Matches here were quite different than at school. The spectators were quiet during the match, allowing for better concentration. He didn't have random freshmen yelling out the name of a tennis move that was performed, or exclaiming about some crucial error made during the play. It must be completely different from a professional soccer game…he stopped his thoughts again, remembering his task was to focus on the match.

Still…he wished Yumi could see his tennis one day.

"Hey, Kunimitsu!"

He really must be hearing things; nobody ever had their most sincere wishes granted so suddenly and conveniently like that. Gods, did he really miss Yumi that much? This was unlike him.

"Quit daydreaming Kunimitsu and look behind you!"

Turning to look, Tezuka's eyes widened behind his glasses. "Yumi, what…what are you doing here?" He asked in shock, this time not needing to force his thoughts away for they had stopped altogether when he saw her and realized she was really there.

"I'm here to watch, of course." Yumi replied, ignoring some frowns she was getting from people next to her in the stands for talking to Tezuka while he was on the court. She glared at them and they hurriedly looked away. Turning soft red eyes back to Tezuka, she smiled and winked. "If you don't win at the first tennis match I've seen you in, I'm going to be disappointed."

Tezuka almost smiled at that; it seemed she still hadn't changed. He knew that was her way of encouraging him to do his best and that she knew he could win. "Yeah; we'll talk after the match." Yumi didn't even bother to answer that as he stood and went back onto the court, completely focused on his match once more, this time without trouble. He won the match and thus the tournament within the hour, his tiredness seemingly gone as he played after receiving Yumi's encouragement.

Yumi met him outside the dome once he had finished cleaning up and changing, and they went to a small café. That was when they could get a really long, good look at each other. Tezuka hadn't changed much since high school, only looking (if it was possible) more mature and fit. The same went for Yumi. Her dark blue hair was a bit longer than her shoulders, and she wore simple blue jeans, running shoes, and a white turtle-neck. Tezuka had black pants, simple black shoes, and a light lavender dress shirt with short sleeves.

"Yumi, it's good to see you again. What are you doing back in Japan?" Tezuka asked, as they sipped at the drinks they had ordered. He had chosen iced tea. As he expected, Yumi had chosen some grape Ponta. "And why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"Well, I got scouted for a soccer team here." Yumi said proudly. "Along the way I made some connections in high places, and one of them called me at eight in the morning to come down to this city. Her exact words were 'Yumi get down here NOW or I'm never talking to you again'."

"…Who is this?" Tezuka asked, getting a small sweatdrop.

"Atsuko; she's part of a huge broadcasting business." Yumi replied. "She saw a picture of us from high school in my wallet and bugged me to no end about you. So when she saw you playing tennis…" She shrugged, leaving it for self-explanatory. "I only made it for the last match though, because I was a few cities over and the trains only go so fast."

"I'm glad you made it. Thank your friend Atsuko for me when you speak with her again." Tezuka said, smiling a bit. "Congratulations on making it into a team. What about Ieris and Cari? Fuji's emails are infrequent and what I know from Eiji is second-hand from Oishi."

"Yeah, Ieris and Cari got scouted for the same team as me." Yumi said happily. "We're working on getting the manager to scout out the twins, too. We're just crossing our fingers for that one. Ieris and Fuji have hit it off well, I saw an engagement ring on Ieris's finger after her last visit to Fuji."

"And Cari? Is she still with Eiji?" Tezuka asked. "They seemed to balance each other out well."

"They do, don't they? They're still together." Yumi said, laughing lightly. "Things are just going slower for them, which is good because Cari's still such a quiet, timid person. Except in soccer, of course."

A comfortable silence fell over them as they sat there. Yumi was the first to speak and break it. "Kunimitsu, I still have your jacket to give back to you." She said, eyes sparkling.

"And I had something that I swore I would ask you when we next met." Tezuka replied. "If you say yes, then you can keep the jacket for a little while longer."

"Ask away." Yumi said, tilting her head curiously.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Summary: A childhood friend of Tezuka's comes back for a soccer tournament. They've always been close; now, with a limited amount of time, she has to tell Tezuka how she feels. But trouble gets in the way...not to mention her temper. TezxOC

**Chapter 18**

**Epilogue**

* * *

"This is some reunion!" Oishi commented to Eiji with a smile, looking around at the large mansion that had been elaborately furnished and lit for a grand party.

"Ah, two more guests have arrived." Atobe came up with a glass of wine, smiling pleasantly. "The rest of your former team is already here enjoying the celebration. It's been a few years since we've graduated from college or university, wherever you went. Enjoy the reunion."

"We will; thank you for inviting us." Oishi said to the host of the gala. A few weeks ago, he had received an invitation in the mail from where he was sharing a small house with Eiji. They were sharing living expenses since Eiji was running a pet store and it wasn't yet known enough to make the money needed for the house. Oishi shared the costs of the house with him because he was in medical school, and needed a place to stay.

And then the letter came, inviting them to a reunion of the tennis teams from their high school days, so how could they refuse? They hadn't seen some of their old friends in ages. Just for kicks, everyone had worn their old tennis uniforms. Well, some people had to just wear the jackets, for they had grown.

Eiji gave an exclamation of surprise when he saw Ryoma off to the side. His little Ochibi had gone through a growth spurt shortly after hitting his third year, but by then Eiji had graduated so he couldn't see it. Ryoma now reached Eiji's own height, and had a slim muscular build. He was hanging out with an oddly familiar girl...

"Eiji, you remember Sakuno Ryuzaki, don't you?" Oishi murmured to Eiji. "Ryuzaki-sensei's granddaughter? Ryoma's engaged to her now."

"EH?! That's great!" Eiji exclaimed. Looking around at the turnout, he said "Wow, I can't believe Atobe's willing to feed the old teams from Seigaku, Rikkaidai, and Hyoutei!"

"I know, Momoshiro still eats as much as ever. I heard he became a chef." Oishi said, laughing.

"Who would've thought..." Eiji muttered.

"I thought I recognized you." Fuji said, smiling cheerfully as he approached the two. A camera hung from a strap around his neck; the former tennis tensai had decided to follow his passion of photography. "Ieris, you don't have to look so gloomy." He said to the girl behind him.

"Ieris?! You're here too?" Eiji's mouth dropped open in shock.

Ieris had become absolutely stunning as she matured. Her hair was long and curly and shining blond. Her skin had a healthy tan, her blue eyes were sharp but she looked as indifferent as ever in a plain black tank top and blue jeans. "Yes, I'm here too. Syusuke and I are married now, in case you've forgotten the wedding already." She replied, rolling her eyes.

"I take pictures from her soccer games a lot, and also because she's a sports model." Fuji said cheerfully. "It makes it easy to travel around with her."

"Does this mean that your soccer team is giving you some time off? Is Cari here too?!" Eiji asked in excitement.

"See for yourself; look behind you." Ieris said, smirking.

Eiji turned and his jaw dropped. Cari had kept her hair short, but like everyone else she looked much more mature. She was as thin as usual, though, and still somewhat shy around others. But currently she was beaming brightly at Eiji, wearing a cute white sundress. "I wouldn't leave my fiancé alone at a party." She said with a giggle. "I came with Ieris." For the rest of the party she'd have Eiji latched to her side.

"So I'm assuming this means that Jun is here, since Oshitari must have been invited." Oishi said, looking around and spotting the two in a group of former Hyoutei members.

"Yes. Yumi, Ieris, and Cari have a small break from their soccer team. They managed to get scouted for the same team, actually." Fuji said. "And then they convinced the manager to scout out the twins, and after that things worked out so well that their manager was perfectly fine with accepting Jun as coach."

"She helps create wartime strategy video games on the side." Cari added. "Together with Oshitari, they've developed some pretty good games and gaming technology."

"Speaking of Yumi, where's Tezuka?" Eiji asked suddenly.

"He's in the other room." Fuji replied. "Although he doesn't have his jacket on, so even with everyone inside you should find him easily."

"Come to think of it, he never had his jacket after Yumi left...why didn't he get a new one?" Eiji mused.

"That would defeat the purpose. Besides, he's still dressed in the rest of his uniform." Fuji pointed out. "Although I'm not surprised, since he's become a professional tennis player and hasn't really grown anymore. He and Ryoma have done really well in the tournaments they've entered."

"So if Ieris and Cari and Jun are here, then Yumi must be too, right?" Oishi said, smiling. "He's only seen her twice since high school and that was at Fuji's and then Oshitari's weddings, from what I know. He must have missed her."

"She's not...here." Cari said quietly.

"...Oh..." Oishi said, looking sadly at his former team captain who stood in the main room, talking with Yukimura. It had been plain after Yumi had left that he missed her. He often wondered if and how things worked out between them.

Clapping was heard and the thrum of voices ceased as attention was drawn to Atobe. "First, I'd like to thank you all for coming here for this reunion. I hope you've enjoyed the night so far. I thought, since we're partially or fully in uniform anyways, how about some friendly tennis matches for old times sake?"

"Hmph. Alright, I challenge Atobe." Ryoma said with a grin.

"I accept." Atobe said. "Naturally I have more than one court out back, and an assortment of rackets in case anyone didn't bring their own equipment."

With a bit of anticipation and eagerness everyone left the room to the tennis courts in Atobe's back yard. While being in charge of his family's business, inheriting the house and the wealth, Atobe had still kept up tennis as a hobby on the side. The tennis courts were all set up and in excellent condition, as well as his equipment.

They went through quite a few matches, as everyone lost themselves in the vigour of their school days playing tennis. Not everyone had kept up with the sport, but they hadn't gotten too rusty either. After a little while, Eiji said "I want to face Tezuka, nya!" Sometimes his old speech slipped in. "C'mon Oishi, let's face him in doubles!"

"Eiji, you forgot he doesn't have a doubles partner." Oishi reminded his partner.

"That's no problem if he still keeps his tennis bag up to date." A voice called out.

Everyone turned to see a young woman with long dark blue hair sitting on the top of one of the tables set up around the courts. She had on black shorts and a dark red shirt with no sleeves. Her form was slim and fit, looking extremely lethal and agile. She hopped off the table, the white and blue jacket resting over her shoulders fluttering a bit. On the sleeves people could read 'Tezuka Kunimitsu'. Brushing her long bangs back, fiery red eyes could be seen staring in amusement. "Well? Do you still have everything, Kunimitsu?" She asked.

Tezuka came out of the crowd with his bag and nodded to her. "Hello, Yumi. How are you?"

"Good, thanks. Sorry I'm late, traffic was a bitch." Yumi said, giving him a peck on the cheek as she pulled out her tennis racket from Tezuka's bag and an extra hair tie.

"No locks, Yumi?" Choutarou asked, smiling.

"No, no locks. I decided years ago to leave my collection at home, except for my necklace. It's a bit awkward for me to carry them all around on me as an adult, and it's a little tasteless now, you know?" Yumi replied, laughing. "Let's get the tennis match on!"

Eiji never lost an ounce of his excitement as he and Oishi played Yumi and Tezuka, who to everyone's surprise were quite good at doubles. Yumi and Tezuka won, and Eiji immediately demanded how they became so good together. Yumi laughed. "You think this was the first time I've seen Kunimitsu since high school? Come on. Besides Fuji and Oshitari's weddings and visiting on my own time, I love to see tennis matches of his." She put the jacket back on around her shoulders as she exited the court with Tezuka. "I just kept his jacket all this time; we've got a deal going right now about it."

"Yumi, you never told us that you've been visiting him. Or vice versa." Ieris accused.

"It never came up; besides, we've always been busy with the soccer team." Yumi said with a shrug. She hooked her arm around Tezuka's as they stood there casually. Tezuka, in turn, held their hands together loosely. Both seemed to be gestures done subconsciously, without either of them really being aware of doing it.

"What's that on your hand, Yumi?" Cari asked in a deceptively sweet voice, hands on her hips.

"Uh...another thing that hadn't come up until now." Yumi said sheepishly, removing her left hand from Tezuka's grip and holding it up so that everyone could see: on her finger glittered a beautiful gold diamond ring. Now she had people gaping at her.

"No way...to who?" Momoshiro asked, blinking as if making sure it was real.

"Do you _really_ have to ask?" Yumi replied, rolling her eyes. "Who else can handle me? Kunimitsu and I have already been saving up to buy a nice house in Japan; until we're married and living in it, I'm keeping his jacket. That's the deal we made after I saw him the first time after high school, and the first part of the deal's already taken care of." She explained. "We won't see each other all the time, but he's going to try and time his tennis with my soccer games so we'll be in the same places when we're away from home."

"Weren't you going to invite us to the wedding?" Choutarou asked. He was one of the few people who had kept in steady contact with Yumi, and not even he'd known about their decisions to marry.

"Yeah, but then we just decided to elope, with family only invited. Sorry, I just couldn't say no to Kunimitsu when he requested we do it that way." Yumi grinned and shrugged helplessly at the groans of disappointment. "What do you want me to do about it? I can't get married twice to the same guy, that's just weird."

"Then we'll skip the marriage part and go straight to the celebration." Atobe said as if it were perfectly logical. "We've got the food preparations all taken care of anyways." He picked up one of the glasses that his servants were passing around on trays and raised it in a toast. "To Tezuka Yumi and Tezuka Kunimitsu!"

"Congratulations!" Everyone chorused, raising their own glasses with small clinking sounds.

**E.N.D.**

* * *

**Author's Note: **If there's any confusion I think it'll be about Tezuka's jacket. When he and Yumi saw each other again after high school, they decided to get married. The deal was that until they were married and living in a house of their own, Yumi would keep the jacket.


End file.
